Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Acre

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,960 in Acre, rent and utilities included – about $24,300 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
136

Cost of Living Index in Acre
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Acre Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Acre

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,960

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $938 in Chiang Mai versus $2,960 in Acre.

Chiang Mai $938
Acre $2,960

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,426 in Chiang Mai versus $4,244 in Acre.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Acre $4,244

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,914 in Chiang Mai versus $5,528 in Acre.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Acre $5,528

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 68% less than in Acre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 30% below, Acre is 119% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$25.98 ₪80.8

-91.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$108 ₪337

-82.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$19.14 ₪59.6

-70.79%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$4.68 ₪14.57

-63.25%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$3.61 ₪11.24

-82.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$3.06 ₪9.53

-89.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$10.64 ₪33.11

-77.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$10.77 ₪33.51

-63.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$2.53 ₪7.86

-18.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$3.57 ₪11.10

-60.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$3.78 ₪11.77

-66.14%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$4.83 ₪15.04

-53.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$17.04 ₪53.0

-0.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$12.94 ₪40.27

-78.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$23.90 ₪74.4

-60.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$4.50 ₪14.02

-46.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$2.85 ₪8.87

-64.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$2.39 ₪7.44

-32.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$2.53 ₪7.86

-39.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.87 ₪5.81

-31.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.75 ₪5.43

-36.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$2.48 ₪7.72

-70.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$2.67 ₪8.31

-80.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$13.45 ₪41.85

-67.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$15.24 ₪47.42

16.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$3.11 ₪9.67

-47.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$4.87 ₪15.17

-41.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$2.67 ₪8.30

-68.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$101 ₪316

-46.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$4.37 ₪13.60

-73.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.14 ₪3.54

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$19.45 ₪60.5

-87.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$2.68 ₪8.35

-45.90%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$57.0K ₪177.3K

-64.08%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$59.2K ₪184.3K

-55.24%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$265 ₪826

-76.51%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$11.95 ₪37.17

2.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$36.57 ₪114

-45.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$74.4 ₪231

-49.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$15.92 ₪49.52

-57.85%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$1,172 ₪3,647

-32.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$31.4K ₪97.6K

-52.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$112 ₪347

-52.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$71.8 ₪223

-65.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$133 ₪414

-31.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$154 ₪480

-52.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$1,436 ₪4,467

-67.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$1,332 ₪4,144

-77.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$2,076 ₪6,459

-55.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$1,849 ₪5,752

-70.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$9,458 ₪29.4K

-79.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$8,013 ₪24.9K

-82.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.04

10.52%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Acre: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Acre

$1.3K 45% 337% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Acre

$452 15.3% 89.8% $214

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Acre

$212 7.2% 93.4% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Acre

$314 10.6% 232% $219

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Acre

$423 14.3% 435% $344

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Acre

$122 4.1% 99.2% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Acre

$106 3.6% 107% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $464 in Chiang Mai and $1,436 in Acre. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19.00 in Chiang Mai vs $108 in Acre for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $452 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇱 Acre

🕒 Local time

14:06 2:06 PM

10:06 10:06 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

55,974

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Acre 6,490 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Acre

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 Acre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 215% lower than in Acre. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,408 in Chiang Mai and $4,441 in Acre 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: $464 in Chiang Mai versus $1,436 in Acre. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 90% higher in Acre. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $108 in Acre. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $2,960 in Acre, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Acre. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chiang Mai delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $938 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chiang Mai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Acre 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 Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 215% less than in Acre. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.