Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chatham and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,947 in Chatham, rent and utilities included – about $24,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in Chatham
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Chatham Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Chatham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,947

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,947 per month in Chatham vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Chatham $2,947
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $4,017 per month in Chatham vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Chatham $4,017
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $5,088 per month in Chatham vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Chatham $5,088
Chiang Mai $1,903

Chatham costs about 219% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chatham sits 118% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.40 £10.05

$2.29 ฿76.5

485.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.9 £71.2

$19.64 ฿656

383.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.85 £7.39

$5.61 ฿188

75.58%

Cappuccino

$3.75 £2.82

$1.66 ฿55.6

125.90%

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

$2.95 £2.21

$0.70 ฿23.40

321.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 £1.26

$0.31 ฿10.24

441.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.38 £4.78

$2.41 ฿80.4

164.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 £5.12

$3.71 ฿124

84.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.43

$1.95 ฿65.3

-2.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 £1.57

$1.41 ฿47.03

48.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 £1.58

$1.31 ฿43.62

60.31%

Eggs

$4.09 £3.07

$2.18 ฿72.9

87.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.74 £8.06

$16.65 ฿556

-35.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.29 £6.97

$2.76 ฿92.2

236.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.54 £11.66

$9.11 ฿304

70.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 £2.33

$2.39 ฿80.0

29.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 £1.44

$1.03 ฿34.26

86.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 £2.03

$1.63 ฿54.4

66.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 £2.75

$1.50 ฿50.0

144.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 £1.51

$1.29 ฿43.13

55.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 £1.37

$1.11 ฿37.03

63.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 £0.86

$0.72 ฿24.08

59.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 £1.28

$0.53 ฿17.59

222.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.64 £16.24

$4.31 ฿144

402.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.94 £8.21

$17.95 ฿600

-39.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.06 £2.29

$1.58 ฿52.9

93.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 £1.78

$2.84 ฿95.0

-16.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.04 £3.03

$0.86 ฿28.86

369.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$114 £85.6

$53.3 ฿1,780

114.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.10 £3.83

$1.21 ฿40.29

321.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.58 £1.94

$0.57 ฿18.99

352.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.18 £15.14

$2.35 ฿78.6

758.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.56

$1.44 ฿47.96

45.14%

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

$38.9K £29.2K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

87.67%

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

$37.1K £27.8K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

38.38%

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

$287 £215

$62.3 ฿2,083

360.52%

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

$16.80 £12.61

$12.11 ฿405

38.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.54 £19.91

$19.94 ฿666

33.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$114 £85.8

$37.07 ฿1,239

208.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.37 £7.03

$3.78 ฿126

147.88%

Cinema Ticket

$17.40 £13.05

$6.50 ฿217

167.69%

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

$2,080 £1,561

$793 ฿26.5K

162.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.4K £22.8K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

105.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.6 £68.7

$53.7 ฿1,796

70.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.69 £34.28

$24.62 ฿823

85.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 £78.4

$90.9 ฿3,036

15.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 £68.6

$71.1 ฿2,378

28.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,050 £1,538

$455 ฿15.2K

350.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,601 £1,201

$298 ฿9,954

437.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,430 £1,823

$908 ฿30.4K

167.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,090 £1,568

$554 ฿18.5K

277.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,877 £5,909

$1,931 ฿64.5K

307.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,449 £5,588

$1,445 ฿48.3K

415.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,972 £2,230

$591 ฿19.7K

403.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

5.57

-8.08%

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

Last update for Chatham: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chatham

$1.6K 54.3%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 81.4% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chatham

$330 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 71.4% $236

Groceries & Markets

Chatham

$323 11%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 27.1% $87

Eating Out

Chatham

$246 8.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 68% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Chatham

$150 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 27.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Chatham

$149 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 66.4% $99

Getting Around

Chatham

$148 5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 59% $87

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,050 in Chatham 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 403% higher in Chatham, 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 $95.0 in Chatham versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $323 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Chatham

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:41 9:41 PM

03:41 3:41 AM

6 h ahead of Chatham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,792

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 21, 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 21, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chatham
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

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

Chatham costs about 219% 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 $4,421 per month in Chatham 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,947 in Chatham and $925 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 219%.

Public transport costs about 114% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Chatham at $2,947. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chatham it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,947 in Chatham. 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, Chatham makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.