Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chaiyaphum and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Chaiyaphum and in Chiang Mai: $907 and $925 a month, rent and utilities included.

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Cost of Living Index in Chaiyaphum
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Chaiyaphum Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Chaiyaphum

🇹🇭 Thailand

$907

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $907 in Chaiyaphum versus $925 in Chiang Mai.

Chaiyaphum $907
Chiang Mai $925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,524 in Chaiyaphum versus $1,414 in Chiang Mai.

Chaiyaphum $1,524
Chiang Mai $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,142 in Chaiyaphum versus $1,903 in Chiang Mai.

Chaiyaphum $2,142
Chiang Mai $1,903

Living in Chaiyaphum costs roughly 2% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chaiyaphum 33% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.22 ฿40.76

$2.29 ฿76.5

-46.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.18 ฿1,176

$19.64 ฿656

79.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.34 ฿212

$5.61 ฿188

13.01%

Cappuccino

$1.18 ฿39.33

$1.66 ฿55.6

-28.92%

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

$0.47 ฿15.65

$0.70 ฿23.40

-32.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.33

$0.31 ฿10.24

9.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 ฿92.1

$2.41 ฿80.4

14.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ฿152

$3.71 ฿124

22.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ฿61.5

$1.95 ฿65.3

-5.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.05

$1.41 ฿47.03

4.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 ฿47.06

$1.31 ฿43.62

7.63%

Eggs

$1.52 ฿50.9

$2.18 ฿72.9

-30.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.24 ฿576

$16.65 ฿556

3.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.59 ฿120

$2.76 ฿92.2

30.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.20 ฿441

$9.11 ฿304

44.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.39 ฿80.0

55.23%

Banana (1kg)

$0.58 ฿19.27

$1.03 ฿34.26

-43.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.73 ฿91.3

$1.63 ฿54.4

67.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.50 ฿50.0

30.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.2

$1.29 ฿43.13

30.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 ฿52.4

$1.11 ฿37.03

41.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 ฿41.09

$0.72 ฿24.08

70.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.44

$0.53 ฿17.59

-41.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.85 ฿162

$4.31 ฿144

12.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.12 ฿505

$17.95 ฿600

-15.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 ฿61.1

$1.58 ฿52.9

15.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 ฿112

$2.84 ฿95.0

17.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ฿32.19

$0.86 ฿28.86

11.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ฿34.23

$1.21 ฿40.29

-15.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 ฿40.70

$0.57 ฿18.99

114.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.11 ฿204

$2.35 ฿78.6

160.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ฿36.01

$1.44 ฿47.96

-25.00%

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

$30.8K ฿1.0M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

48.51%

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

$27.1K ฿906.9K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

1.26%

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

$43.13 ฿1,442

$62.3 ฿2,083

-30.80%

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

$11.24 ฿376

$12.11 ฿405

-7.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.69 ฿391

$19.94 ฿666

-41.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.56 ฿1,422

$37.07 ฿1,239

14.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.12 ฿472

$3.78 ฿126

273.54%

Cinema Ticket

$7.66 ฿256

$6.50 ฿217

17.85%

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

$565 ฿18.9K

$793 ฿26.5K

-28.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K ฿551.3K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

11.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 ฿2,377

$53.7 ฿1,796

32.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.71 ฿1,427

$24.62 ฿823

73.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.8 ฿3,267

$90.9 ฿3,036

7.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 ฿3,498

$71.1 ฿2,378

47.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$438 ฿14.6K

$455 ฿15.2K

-3.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 ฿10.1K

$298 ฿9,954

1.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,076 ฿35.9K

$908 ฿30.4K

18.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$700 ฿23.4K

$554 ฿18.5K

26.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,795 ฿60.0K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-7.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 ฿50.5K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

4.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$451 ฿15.1K

$591 ฿19.7K

-23.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

5.57

-5.75%

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

Last update for Chaiyaphum: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chaiyaphum

$301 33.2%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 1.1% $3.2

Groceries & Markets

Chaiyaphum

$260 28.6%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 9.3% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Chaiyaphum

$142 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 24% $34

Eating Out

Chaiyaphum

$69 7.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 13.9% $9.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chaiyaphum

$66 7.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 42.8% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Chaiyaphum

$58 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 13.5% $7.8

Getting Around

Chaiyaphum

$11 * 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 454% $50

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $438 in Chaiyaphum and $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 31% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $35.00 in Chaiyaphum vs $20.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $235 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chaiyaphum

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:41 6:41 PM

Same time as Chaiyaphum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,436

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Chaiyaphum Chiang Mai 460 km

From you

Chaiyaphum
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

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

Chaiyaphum is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and transport. The 2% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Chiang Mai. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $438 in Chaiyaphum versus $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $565 in Chaiyaphum versus $793 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chaiyaphum – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $907 in Chaiyaphum versus $925 in Chiang Mai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Chaiyaphum but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Chaiyaphum the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Chaiyaphum is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Chiang Mai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Chaiyaphum and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chaiyaphum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.