Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $3,191 in Cambridge, rent and utilities included – about $27,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Cambridge

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,191

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cambridge 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 Cambridge and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,191 per month in Cambridge vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cambridge $3,191
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $4,509 per month in Cambridge vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cambridge $4,509
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $5,827 per month in Cambridge vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cambridge $5,827
Chiang Mai $1,903

Cambridge costs about 245% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cambridge sits 136% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.56 £16.17

$2.29 ฿76.5

841.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.5 £66.4

$19.64 ฿656

350.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.12

$5.61 ฿188

93.05%

Cappuccino

$4.49 £3.37

$1.66 ฿55.6

170.48%

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

$2.79 £2.09

$0.70 ฿23.40

298.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.41

$0.31 ฿10.24

506.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 £5.93

$2.41 ฿80.4

227.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 £4.91

$3.71 ฿124

76.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.95 ฿65.3

-15.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 £1.34

$1.41 ฿47.03

26.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 £1.87

$1.31 ฿43.62

90.08%

Eggs

$4.53 £3.40

$2.18 ฿72.9

107.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 £7.45

$16.65 ฿556

-40.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 £7.07

$2.76 ฿92.2

241.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.44 £11.59

$9.11 ฿304

69.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 £2.22

$2.39 ฿80.0

23.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.03 ฿34.26

67.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 £2.77

$1.63 ฿54.4

126.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.54

$1.50 ฿50.0

126.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 £1.38

$1.29 ฿43.13

42.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 £1.42

$1.11 ฿37.03

70.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$0.72 ฿24.08

72.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 £1.47

$0.53 ฿17.59

267.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.36 £16.77

$4.31 ฿144

418.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.97 £8.23

$17.95 ฿600

-38.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.45

$1.58 ฿52.9

106.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 £3.11

$2.84 ฿95.0

46.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

$0.86 ฿28.86

373.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 £71.3

$53.3 ฿1,780

78.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.76 £5.82

$1.21 ฿40.29

541.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 £2.02

$0.57 ฿18.99

373.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.9 £38.18

$2.35 ฿78.6

2065.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.44 ฿47.96

43.75%

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

$37.9K £28.4K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

82.58%

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

$41.1K £30.8K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

53.27%

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

$345 £258

$62.3 ฿2,083

452.70%

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

$18.37 £13.78

$12.11 ฿405

51.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.78 £32.10

$19.94 ฿666

114.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.4 £49.09

$37.07 ฿1,239

76.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.63 £15.48

$3.78 ฿126

445.77%

Cinema Ticket

$17.15 £12.86

$6.50 ฿217

163.85%

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

$2,590 £1,943

$793 ฿26.5K

226.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K £26.9K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

141.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.4 £67.8

$53.7 ฿1,796

68.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.74 £35.82

$24.62 ฿823

93.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.4 £68.6

$90.9 ฿3,036

0.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 £95.5

$71.1 ฿2,378

78.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,115 £1,587

$455 ฿15.2K

364.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,736 £1,302

$298 ฿9,954

482.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,193 £2,396

$908 ฿30.4K

251.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,694 £2,021

$554 ฿18.5K

386.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,107 £6,832

$1,931 ฿64.5K

371.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,803 £4,353

$1,445 ฿48.3K

301.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,405 £3,305

$591 ฿19.7K

645.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

5.57

-9.52%

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

Last update for Cambridge: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cambridge

$1.7K 54.4%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 82.8% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge

$406 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 76.7% $311

Eating Out

Cambridge

$330 10.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 76.2% $252

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge

$327 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 27.9% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge

$161 5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 32.6% $52

Getting Around

Cambridge

$133 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 54.2% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge

$100 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 49.8% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,115 in Cambridge versus $455 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 646% higher in Cambridge, 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 $88.0 in Cambridge versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Cambridge

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:39 12:39 PM

18:39 6:39 PM

6 h ahead of Cambridge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

145,818

127,240

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cambridge Chiang Mai 8,950 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cambridge
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

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

Yes – Cambridge is pricier by about 245%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,787 per month in Cambridge and $1,388 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Cambridge and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,191 in Cambridge and $925 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 245%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Cambridge at $3,191. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cambridge it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Cambridge makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.