Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Alton

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,607 in Alton, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 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
125

Cost of Living Index in Alton
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Alton Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Alton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,607

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,607 in Alton, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Alton $2,607

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,875 in Alton, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Alton $3,875

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,143 in Alton, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Alton $5,143

Chiang Mai is about 64% cheaper than Alton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Alton is 92% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$27.13 £20.42

-91.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$105 £78.7

-81.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$10.75 £8.09

-48.37%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$5.69 £4.28

-70.65%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$3.03 £2.28

-78.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$2.20 £1.66

-85.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$9.07 £6.83

-73.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$7.96 £5.99

-54.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.81 £1.37

7.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$2.02 £1.52

-28.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.51 £1.89

-47.01%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.39 £2.55

-32.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$12.77 £9.61

28.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$10.86 £8.18

-74.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$17.24 £12.98

-46.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.14 £2.36

-25.16%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.42 £1.07

-31.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.99 £2.25

-46.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.40 £2.56

-55.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.68 £1.26

-23.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.81 £1.36

-39.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.47 £1.11

-51.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.85 £1.39

-73.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$23.77 £17.89

-82.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$10.50 £7.90

66.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.35 £1.77

-31.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.74 £2.06

1.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$3.49 £2.62

-75.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$98.0 £73.8

-44.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$5.46 £4.11

-78.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$3.39 £2.55

-84.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$25.69 £19.33

-90.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$2.10 £1.58

-30.95%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$38.2K £28.8K

-44.93%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$40.2K £30.2K

-32.92%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$369 £278

-83.17%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$18.30 £13.77

-33.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$40.58 £30.54

-50.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$46.16 £34.74

-19.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$17.88 £13.45

-63.70%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$2,877 £2,165

-74.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$35.7K £26.9K

-58.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$117 £87.9

-54.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$54.5 £41.04

-54.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$128 £96.6

-28.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$165 £124

-56.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,246 £938

-61.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,019 £767

-69.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$2,098 £1,579

-52.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,683 £1,267

-62.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$5,091 £3,832

-53.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$3,807 £2,865

-58.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.74

17.51%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Alton: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Alton

$1K 39.1% 230% $711

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Alton

$334 12.8% 42.7% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Alton

$209 8% 92.5% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Alton

$428 16.4% 354% $334

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Alton

$400 15.3% 415% $322

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Alton

$134 5.2% 119% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Alton

$82 3.1% 62.9% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,246 in Alton. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $105 in Alton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $334 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇬🇧 Alton

🕒 Local time

23:07 11:07 PM

16:07 4:07 PM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

17,816

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Alton 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Alton

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 Alton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $2,607 in Alton – roughly 179% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $3,911 in Alton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,246 in Alton.

Public transport costs about 45% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,877 in Alton. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,607 in Alton. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 179% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.