Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Can Tho and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Can Tho: $724 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Can Tho
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Can Tho Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Can Tho

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$724

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $724 per month in Can Tho vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Can Tho $724
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,227 per month in Can Tho vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Can Tho $1,227
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,729 per month in Can Tho vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Can Tho $1,729
Chiang Mai $1,999

Can Tho is about 23% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Can Tho and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Can Tho 46% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.40 ₫36.0K

$2.13 ฿71.8

-34.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.71 ₫610.8K

$18.62 ฿626

27.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.78 ₫97.5K

$5.60 ฿188

-32.50%

Cappuccino

$1.51 ₫39.0K

$1.66 ฿55.9

-9.04%

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

$0.53 ₫13.6K

$0.65 ฿21.75

-18.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₫7,591

$0.30 ฿10.25

-3.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.07 ₫27.6K

$2.32 ฿78.1

-53.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 ₫29.1K

$3.67 ฿123

-69.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 ₫34.0K

$2.02 ฿67.8

-34.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 ₫30.3K

$1.41 ฿47.34

-16.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 ₫20.7K

$1.39 ฿46.79

-42.45%

Eggs

$1.42 ₫36.6K

$2.37 ฿79.6

-40.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.18 ₫313.7K

$16.52 ฿555

-26.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.57 ₫92.0K

$2.67 ฿89.8

33.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.94 ₫256.0K

$9.02 ฿303

10.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 ₫81.0K

$2.40 ฿80.6

30.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ₫33.1K

$1.04 ฿35.01

23.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 ₫35.4K

$1.66 ฿55.8

-16.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.80 ₫20.7K

$1.56 ฿52.4

-48.72%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₫19.4K

$1.24 ฿41.61

-39.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ₫24.2K

$1.09 ฿36.53

-13.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 ₫20.5K

$0.76 ฿25.61

5.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.51 ฿17.29

9.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.22 ₫31.4K

$4.12 ฿139

-70.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₫197.7K

$17.93 ฿603

-57.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₫24.5K

$1.62 ฿54.6

-41.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 ₫36.5K

$2.82 ฿94.9

-49.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ₫7,882

$0.93 ฿31.42

-66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.30 ₫162.3K

$52.9 ฿1,778

-88.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.46 ₫11.8K

$1.18 ฿39.56

-61.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 ₫15.2K

$0.17 ฿5.76

247.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 ₫78.4K

$1.81 ฿60.9

67.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.6K

$1.47 ฿49.51

-38.10%

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

$31.0K ₫799.0M

$21.0K ฿706.4K

47.60%

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

$28.9K ₫745.6M

$26.5K ฿891.4K

9.15%

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

$49.32 ₫1.3M

$62.6 ฿2,103

-21.16%

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

$3.89 ₫100.3K

$11.60 ฿390

-66.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.61 ₫247.6K

$20.30 ฿683

-52.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.23 ₫521.3K

$37.88 ฿1,274

-46.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.59 ₫195.5K

$3.70 ฿124

105.14%

Cinema Ticket

$3.36 ₫86.5K

$6.51 ฿219

-48.39%

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

$190 ₫4.9M

$727 ฿24.4K

-73.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,044 ₫181.4M

$16.6K ฿557.2K

-57.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.50 ₫502.4K

$53.5 ฿1,800

-63.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.70 ₫507.6K

$24.80 ฿834

-20.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 ₫2.4M

$90.4 ฿3,039

2.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 ₫2.4M

$72.0 ฿2,420

31.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$432 ₫11.1M

$481 ฿16.2K

-10.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 ₫7.3M

$310 ฿10.4K

-8.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 ₫17.0M

$1,058 ฿35.6K

-37.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$697 ₫18.0M

$659 ฿22.1K

5.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,427 ₫62.5M

$2,418 ฿81.3K

0.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,355 ₫34.9M

$1,609 ฿54.1K

-15.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$161 ₫4.1M

$595 ฿20.0K

-73.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

5.57

55.12%

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

Last update for Can Tho: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Can Tho

$282 39%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 9.8% $28

Groceries & Markets

Can Tho

$188 26%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 25.9% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Can Tho

$102 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 6.5% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Can Tho

$63 8.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 50.4% $32

Eating Out

Can Tho

$52 7.1%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 48.4% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Can Tho

$27 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 88.9% $24

Getting Around

Can Tho

$11 1.5%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 437% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $432 in Can Tho versus $481 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 in Chiang Mai are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Can Tho versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $188 in Can Tho vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Can Tho wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Can Tho

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

Same time as Can Tho

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,258,900

127,240

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 25,761 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,880 VND (100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Can Tho Chiang Mai 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Can Tho
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

Can Tho vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,086 per month in Can Tho and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Can Tho, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $432 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Can Tho and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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