Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chanthaburi and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $980 in Chanthaburi, rent and utilities included – about $540 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Chanthaburi
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Chanthaburi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Chanthaburi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$980

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $980 in Chanthaburi versus $935 in Chiang Mai.

Chanthaburi $980
Chiang Mai $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,577 in Chanthaburi versus $1,467 in Chiang Mai.

Chanthaburi $1,577
Chiang Mai $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,174 in Chanthaburi versus $1,999 in Chiang Mai.

Chanthaburi $2,174
Chiang Mai $1,999

Living in Chanthaburi is roughly 5% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chanthaburi 28% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.21 ฿40.57

$2.13 ฿71.8

-43.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.94 ฿1,275

$18.62 ฿626

103.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.29 ฿245

$5.60 ฿188

30.18%

Cappuccino

$1.52 ฿51.2

$1.66 ฿55.9

-8.43%

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

$0.55 ฿18.50

$0.65 ฿21.75

-15.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ฿9.70

$0.30 ฿10.25

-3.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.67 ฿56.1

$2.32 ฿78.1

-28.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 ฿154

$3.67 ฿123

24.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$2.02 ฿67.8

-26.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ฿51.0

$1.41 ฿47.34

7.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ฿30.50

$1.39 ฿46.79

-34.53%

Eggs

$2.15 ฿72.3

$2.37 ฿79.6

-9.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.14 ฿576

$16.52 ฿555

3.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 ฿131

$2.67 ฿89.8

45.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.74 ฿428

$9.02 ฿303

41.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 ฿126

$2.40 ฿80.6

55.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 ฿57.4

$1.04 ฿35.01

64.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 ฿94.0

$1.66 ฿55.8

68.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 ฿63.8

$1.56 ฿52.4

21.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ฿40.08

$1.24 ฿41.61

-4.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 ฿50.0

$1.09 ฿36.53

36.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 ฿41.37

$0.76 ฿25.61

61.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.09

$0.51 ฿17.29

-5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.69 ฿158

$4.12 ฿139

13.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.57 ฿490

$17.93 ฿603

-18.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ฿56.9

$1.62 ฿54.6

4.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ฿111

$2.82 ฿94.9

17.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 ฿28.12

$0.93 ฿31.42

-9.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.7 ฿2,981

$52.9 ฿1,778

67.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 ฿34.23

$1.18 ฿39.56

-13.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.68

$0.17 ฿5.76

523.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.86 ฿197

$1.81 ฿60.9

223.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ฿39.82

$1.47 ฿49.51

-19.73%

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

$31.7K ฿1.1M

$21.0K ฿706.4K

50.73%

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

$23.3K ฿783.9K

$26.5K ฿891.4K

-12.06%

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

$99.2 ฿3,334

$62.6 ฿2,103

58.50%

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

$3.57 ฿120

$11.60 ฿390

-69.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ฿354

$20.30 ฿683

-48.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.62 ฿1,668

$37.88 ฿1,274

30.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.05 ฿439

$3.70 ฿124

252.70%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ฿184

$6.51 ฿219

-16.13%

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

$816 ฿27.4K

$727 ฿24.4K

12.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K ฿521.1K

$16.6K ฿557.2K

-6.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$7.28 ฿245

$53.5 ฿1,800

-86.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.11 ฿1,214

$24.80 ฿834

45.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.0 ฿2,252

$90.4 ฿3,039

-25.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$20.53 ฿690

$72.0 ฿2,420

-71.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$437 ฿14.7K

$481 ฿16.2K

-9.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 ฿10.6K

$310 ฿10.4K

1.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 ฿36.6K

$1,058 ฿35.6K

2.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 ฿22.5K

$659 ฿22.1K

1.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,184 ฿73.4K

$2,418 ฿81.3K

-9.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,860 ฿62.5K

$1,609 ฿54.1K

15.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

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 Chanthaburi: 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

Chanthaburi

$315 32.2%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 1.8% $5.5

Groceries & Markets

Chanthaburi

$262 26.8%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 9.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chanthaburi

$113 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 16.6% $19

Getting Around

Chanthaburi

$98 10%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 40.3% $40

Eating Out

Chanthaburi

$71 7.2%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 8.4% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Chanthaburi

$61 6.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 15.9% $9.6

Clothing & Footwear

Chanthaburi

$59 6%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 83.9% $49

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $437 in Chanthaburi and $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $38 in Chanthaburi vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $262 vs $237 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chanthaburi

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

Same time as Chanthaburi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,602

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chanthaburi Chiang Mai 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chanthaburi
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $980 in Chanthaburi and $935 in Chiang Mai, so Chiang Mai is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,469 in Chanthaburi and $1,403 in Chiang Mai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $437 in Chanthaburi versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 40% less than in Chanthaburi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $816 in Chanthaburi versus $727 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Chanthaburi and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.