Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Abersoch

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,333 in Abersoch, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
112

Cost of Living Index in Abersoch
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Abersoch Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Abersoch

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,333

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Abersoch actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $2,333 in Abersoch.

Chiang Mai $936
Abersoch $2,333

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $3,343 in Abersoch.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Abersoch $3,343

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $4,353 in Abersoch.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Abersoch $4,353

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 60% less than in Abersoch, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 31% below, Abersoch is 71% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$19.91 £14.94

-88.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$62.0 £46.50

-69.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$10.53 £7.90

-47.29%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$4.67 £3.50

-64.24%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$2.30 £1.73

-72.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$1.28 £0.96

-75.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$5.97 £4.48

-60.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$6.23 £4.68

-41.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.34 £1.00

45.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.31 £0.98

9.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.35 £1.01

-1.48%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$3.54 £2.66

-35.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$7.74 £5.81

112.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$8.74 £6.56

-68.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$13.01 £9.76

-28.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.41 £1.81

-2.49%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.22 £0.92

-20.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$2.87 £2.15

-44.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.54 £2.66

-57.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$2.26 £1.70

-43.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$2.92 £2.19

-62.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$1.27 £0.96

-44.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$2.38 £1.78

-79.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$23.54 £17.67

-82.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$10.78 £8.09

62.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$2.20 £1.65

-26.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.28 £2.46

-15.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$3.53 £2.65

-75.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$98.8 £74.1

-45.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$3.98 £2.98

-70.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$2.70 £2.03

-80.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$33.10 £24.83

-92.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.97 £1.47

-26.40%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$38.4K £28.8K

-45.15%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$40.3K £30.2K

-33.07%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$311 £233

-80.01%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$14.66 £11.00

-16.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$43.72 £32.81

-53.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$46.12 £34.60

-19.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$9.69 £7.27

-33.02%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$1,491 £1,119

-50.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$22.7K £17.1K

-35.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$89.0 £66.8

-40.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$48.01 £36.02

-48.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$118 £88.8

-22.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$82.8 £62.1

-13.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,251 £938

-61.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,026 £770

-69.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$2,142 £1,607

-53.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$1,649 £1,237

-61.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$4,992 £3,746

-52.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$3,847 £2,887

-58.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$6,545 £4,911

-90.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

39.25%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Abersoch: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Abersoch

$1K 44% 232% $717

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Abersoch

$286 12.3% 22% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Abersoch

$152 6.5% 40% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Abersoch

$369 15.8% 291% $275

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Abersoch

$304 13% 291% $226

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Abersoch

$130 5.6% 113% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Abersoch

$65 2.8% 30.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $1,251 in Abersoch. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Abersoch pays about 11 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $62 in Abersoch for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $286 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇬🇧 Abersoch

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

01:24 1:24 AM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

783

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Abersoch 9,220 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Abersoch

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 Abersoch: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,333 in Abersoch, so Chiang Mai is about 60% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 91% 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: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,251 in Abersoch. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 45% less than in Abersoch. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $1,491 in Abersoch. 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, Chiang Mai and Abersoch are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 60% less than in Abersoch. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.