Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Abasha

For one person, living is cheaper in Abasha: $732 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Abasha
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Abasha Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Abasha

🇬🇪 Georgia

$732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Abasha

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Abasha actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $732 in Abasha, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Abasha $732

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,198 in Abasha, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Abasha $1,198

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,665 in Abasha, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Abasha $1,665

Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than Abasha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Abasha are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Abasha 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$11.36 ₾29.42

-80.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$37.91 ₾98.1

-49.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$9.93 ₾25.69

-43.71%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$3.47 ₾8.99

-50.43%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.04 ₾2.68

-38.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.60 ₾1.55

-45.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$2.73 ₾7.07

-13.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.13 ₾8.10

24.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$2.21 ₾5.72

-7.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.76 ₾1.96

84.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.74 ₾4.50

-26.44%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$2.82 ₾7.30

-20.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$8.97 ₾23.23

88.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$6.39 ₾16.53

-57.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$13.21 ₾34.19

-29.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.62 ₾4.18

48.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.77 ₾4.59

-42.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.96 ₾5.08

-17.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$2.40 ₾6.22

-36.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.89 ₾2.29

43.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.73 ₾1.90

52.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.35 ₾3.49

-46.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.78 ₾2.01

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$3.37 ₾8.73

28.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$7.54 ₾19.52

135.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.66 ₾4.28

-1.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.31 ₾5.97

23.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.19 ₾3.07

-1.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.74 ₾1.92

-22.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$11.53 ₾29.86

-79.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.46 ₾3.79

-0.68%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$24.9K ₾64.6K

-17.89%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$22.2K ₾57.4K

19.49%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$87.7 ₾227

-28.93%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$13.07 ₾33.82

-6.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$19.41 ₾50.2

2.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$6.93 ₾17.93

-3.17%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$365 ₾944

118.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$10.7K ₾27.7K

38.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$104 ₾269

-48.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$40.09 ₾104

-37.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$117 ₾302

-21.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$122 ₾315

-39.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$343 ₾889

73.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

12.62

-55.86%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Abasha: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Abasha

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Abasha

$232 31.7% 2.6% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Abasha

$172 23.5% 57.2% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Abasha

$120 16.4% 27.1% $26

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Abasha

$189 25.8% 139% $110

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Abasha

$4.9 * 0.7% 92% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Abasha

$14 * 1.9% 73% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 73% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $38.00 in Abasha. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $232 in Abasha – so Abasha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇬🇪 Abasha

🕒 Local time

01:28 1:28 AM

22:28 10:28 PM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

4,900

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Abasha 5,900 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Abasha

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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $938 in Chiang Mai, $732 in Abasha – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,097 in Abasha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $938 in Chiang Mai and $732 in Abasha. That's a gap of about 28%.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $365 in Abasha. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Abasha, where all-in costs run around $732, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Abasha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $732 in Abasha to $938 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Abasha. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.