Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Alexandria

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $998 in Alexandria, rent and utilities included – about $720 less a year. The total is higher in Alexandria despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$998

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $938 in Chiang Mai versus $998 in Alexandria.

Chiang Mai $938
Alexandria $998

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,426 in Chiang Mai versus $1,658 in Alexandria.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Alexandria $1,658

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,914 in Chiang Mai versus $2,317 in Alexandria.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Alexandria $2,317

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 6% less than in Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 30% lower, Alexandria 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$13.42 JMD 2,120

-83.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$76.8 JMD 12.1K

-75.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$8.21 JMD 1,298

-31.91%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$5.37 JMD 849

-67.97%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.16 JMD 183

-44.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.74 JMD 117

-55.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$2.22 JMD 351

6.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.11 JMD 491

25.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$4.20 JMD 664

-51.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$3.71 JMD 586

-62.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.57 JMD 248

-18.47%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$3.63 JMD 573

-38.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$11.31 JMD 1,787

49.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$6.18 JMD 976

-55.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$10.19 JMD 1,611

-8.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$5.94 JMD 938

-59.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$3.86 JMD 610

-73.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$7.13 JMD 1,127

-77.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$3.04 JMD 480

-50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$3.17 JMD 501

-59.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$2.66 JMD 420

-58.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$3.07 JMD 484

-76.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.44 JMD 227

-63.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$9.61 JMD 1,519

-54.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$11.11 JMD 1,755

59.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.77 JMD 437

-41.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$4.06 JMD 642

-29.80%

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

$1.16 JMD 183

0.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$3.17 JMD 501

-82.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$6.12 JMD 967

-61.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.39 JMD 220

4.32%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$43.4K JMD 6.9M

-52.78%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$32.3K JMD 5.1M

-18.04%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$165 JMD 26.1K

-62.20%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$29.45 JMD 4,653

-58.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$53.1 JMD 8,382

-62.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$13.30 JMD 2,101

-49.55%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$364 JMD 57.5K

118.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$8,298 JMD 1.3M

78.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$23.82 JMD 3,764

123.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$31.89 JMD 5,039

-21.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$75.9 JMD 12.0K

20.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$102 JMD 16.1K

-28.02%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.45

-41.06%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Alexandria

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Alexandria

$380 38.1% 59.8% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Alexandria

$105 10.5% 4% $4.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Alexandria

$247 24.8% 162% $153

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Alexandria

$221 22.2% 180% $142

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Alexandria

$17 * 1.7% 72.2% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Alexandria

$27 * 2.7% 48.2% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $19.00 in Chiang Mai vs $77.0 in Alexandria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $380 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇲 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

20:23 8:23 PM

08:23 8:23 AM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,927

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, 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).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Alexandria 15,870 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Alexandria

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 Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai and Alexandria differ by about 6% in total monthly costs ($938 vs $998 including rent). Chiang Mai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,408 in Chiang Mai and $1,497 in Alexandria 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 $797 in Chiang Mai versus $364 in Alexandria. 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 $19.00 versus $77.0 in Alexandria. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $998 in Alexandria, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Alexandria. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Alexandria 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 6% less than in Alexandria. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.