Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairns and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,501 in Cairns, rent and utilities included – about $18,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Cairns
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Cairns Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Cairns

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,501

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairns and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cairns and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,501 per month in Cairns vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cairns $2,501
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,716 per month in Cairns vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cairns $3,716
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,931 per month in Cairns vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cairns $4,931
Chiang Mai $1,914

Cairns costs about 167% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cairns sits 85% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 A$25.00

$2.26 ฿75.4

668.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.6 A$138

$19.18 ฿641

398.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.62 A$18.15

$5.59 ฿187

125.76%

Cappuccino

$4.23 A$6.08

$1.72 ฿57.6

145.93%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 A$4.70

$0.64 ฿21.54

410.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 A$3.95

$0.33 ฿11.18

733.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 A$10.25

$2.36 ฿78.7

202.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.39 A$12.07

$3.90 ฿130

115.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 A$2.64

$2.05 ฿68.6

-10.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 A$3.87

$1.40 ฿46.70

92.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 A$3.62

$1.28 ฿42.89

96.88%

Eggs

$5.33 A$7.68

$2.25 ฿75.3

136.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.04

$16.94 ฿566

-46.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.54 A$19.49

$2.74 ฿91.6

394.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.90 A$21.44

$9.36 ฿313

59.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 A$6.02

$2.40 ฿80.3

74.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 A$4.09

$1.01 ฿33.92

181.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 A$5.32

$1.61 ฿53.9

129.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.91 A$8.50

$1.52 ฿50.7

288.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.54

$1.28 ฿42.90

92.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.70

$1.11 ฿37.22

131.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.84 A$4.09

$0.72 ฿24.09

294.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.51 A$3.61

$0.52 ฿17.54

382.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.51 A$64.1

$4.33 ฿145

927.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.87 A$19.95

$17.73 ฿593

-21.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 A$5.25

$1.63 ฿54.4

123.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 A$7.55

$2.85 ฿95.3

84.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.56 A$5.13

$0.85 ฿28.31

318.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.08 A$21.70

$53.9 ฿1,801

-72.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 A$3.61

$1.17 ฿39.18

114.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.97 A$2.83

$0.57 ฿19.00

245.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.45 A$59.7

$2.37 ฿79.2

1648.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 A$1.77

$1.45 ฿48.32

-15.17%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.8K A$44.3K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

50.40%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$40.7K A$58.6K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

53.66%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$165 A$238

$62.3 ฿2,083

165.41%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$34.27 A$49.32

$12.27 ฿410

179.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.9 A$93.4

$19.97 ฿668

225.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.80 A$63.0

$37.91 ฿1,267

15.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.43 A$39.48

$3.76 ฿126

629.52%

Cinema Ticket

$13.75 A$19.79

$6.71 ฿224

104.92%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,100 A$3,022

$797 ฿26.6K

163.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K A$20.3K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-5.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.4 A$130

$53.3 ฿1,780

69.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$71.4 A$103

$25.05 ฿837

184.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 A$179

$91.6 ฿3,062

35.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$187

$73.5 ฿2,455

76.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,439 A$2,071

$464 ฿15.5K

210.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,223 A$1,760

$305 ฿10.2K

301.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,270 A$3,267

$915 ฿30.6K

148.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 A$2,791

$552 ฿18.5K

251.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,429 A$9,251

$1,912 ฿63.9K

236.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,919 A$7,078

$1,438 ฿48.1K

241.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,424 A$6,366

$595 ฿19.9K

643.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.32

5.57

13.46%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Cairns: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Cairns

$1.2K 48.9%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 75.1% $919

Groceries & Markets

Cairns

$409 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 41.8% $171

Eating Out

Cairns

$304 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 74% $225

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairns

$265 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 64.3% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Cairns

$187 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 41.5% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Cairns

$71 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 28% $20

Getting Around

Cairns

$42 1.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 47.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,439 in Cairns versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 643% higher in Cairns, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96.0 in Cairns versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $409 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Cairns

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:28 3:28 AM

00:28 12:28 AM

3 h behind Cairns

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

153,181

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Cairns Chiang Mai 6,480 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairns
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cairns vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cairns costs about 167% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,751 per month in Cairns and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 72% more in Cairns, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96.0 in Cairns and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Cairns at $2,501. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cairns it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,501 in Cairns. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cairns makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.