Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Albion

For one person, living is cheaper in Albion: $687 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Albion
Learn more

Albion Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Albion

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$687

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $687 in Albion.

Chiang Mai $936
Albion $687

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,674 in Albion.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Albion $1,674

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $2,662 in Albion.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Albion $2,662

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 36% more expensive than in Albion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Albion 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$5.79 MUR 275

-61.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$37.87 MUR 1,796

-49.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.32 MUR 347

-24.18%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.96 MUR 93.0

-14.80%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.14 MUR 54.2

-43.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.66 MUR 31.52

-53.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.73 MUR 129

-13.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.05 MUR 192

-9.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.57 MUR 74.3

24.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.79 MUR 37.51

82.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.15 MUR 54.5

15.65%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.70 MUR 128

-15.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$5.35 MUR 254

207.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$6.54 MUR 310

-57.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.44 MUR 542

-18.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.77 MUR 131

-15.16%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$2.71 MUR 129

-64.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.45 MUR 68.6

10.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.03 MUR 144

-50.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.99 MUR 47.05

29.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.02 MUR 48.26

7.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.69 MUR 32.59

2.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.86 MUR 40.93

-43.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.44 MUR 306

-35.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$8.60 MUR 408

103.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.63 MUR 77.3

-1.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.38 MUR 113

16.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$4.32 MUR 205

-73.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$3.22 MUR 153

-83.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$21.53 MUR 1,021

-88.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.31 MUR 62.3

10.69%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$36.6K MUR 1.7M

-42.49%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$31.0K MUR 1.5M

-13.19%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$45.84 MUR 2,173

35.62%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.77 MUR 510

13.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$28.94 MUR 1,372

-30.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$67.5 MUR 3,199

-44.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.23 MUR 295

4.17%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$126 MUR 5,969

484.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$7,767 MUR 368.2K

90.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$78.3 MUR 3,713

-31.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$75.5 MUR 3,577

-67.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$122 MUR 5,765

-24.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$76.9 MUR 3,646

-6.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,069 MUR 50.7K

-40.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.67

-16.49%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Albion: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Albion

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Albion

$221 32.2% 5.6% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Albion

$159 23.1% 45.9% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Albion

$86 12.5% 9.4% $8.9

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Albion

$121 17.6% 55.7% $43

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Albion

$20 * 3% 66.7% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Albion

$80 11.6% 59% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $38 in Albion. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $221, with Albion cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇺 Albion

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

18:25 6:25 PM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MUR = 2.11 USD

100 MUR = 1.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 47.41 MUR (100 MUR = 2.11 USD). 1 EUR = 52.77 MUR (100 MUR = 1.9 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Albion 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Albion

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 Albion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai and Albion differ by about 36% in total monthly costs ($936 vs $687 including rent). Albion is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $1,030 in Albion 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.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $126 in Albion. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $38 in Albion. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Albion gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Albion are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.