Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bhutan

Name: Bhutan
Address: BT

For one person, living is cheaper in Bhutan: $507 a month against $906 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Bhutan
Learn more

Bhutan Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$507

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 46.2% more expensive than Bhutan without rent, and 78.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 47% more expensive than Bhutan without rent, and 75.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$2.64 BTN 256

-19.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.40 ฿649

$14.28 BTN 1,384

35.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 ฿183

$4.83 BTN 468

13.25%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ฿56.4

$1.32 BTN 128

27.27%

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

$0.66 ฿22.10

$0.48 BTN 46.66

37.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.52

$0.16 BTN 15.47

112.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿81.0

$2.56 BTN 248

-5.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

$1.59 BTN 154

134.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ฿68.9

$0.77 BTN 75.0

167.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.78

$0.78 BTN 75.6

87.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ฿45.09

$1.01 BTN 97.5

33.66%

Eggs

$2.27 ฿76.0

$1.59 BTN 154

42.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.31 ฿546

$3.32 BTN 321

391.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.3

$3.66 BTN 355

-26.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.20 ฿308

$3.78 BTN 366

143.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.1

$2.43 BTN 236

-1.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.66

$1.57 BTN 152

-33.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.7

$1.60 BTN 155

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.37

$0.90 BTN 87.6

60.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.59

$0.59 BTN 56.9

120.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.29

$0.66 BTN 64.1

68.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ฿23.55

$0.68 BTN 65.5

2.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.99

$0.32 BTN 31.33

59.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 ฿138

$3.81 BTN 369

8.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 ฿595

$2.90 BTN 281

513.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.7

$0.78 BTN 75.9

108.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.0

$1.10 BTN 106

160.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.76

$0.79 BTN 76.6

8.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ฿1,780

$5.14 BTN 498

934.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿40.81

$0.77 BTN 74.1

58.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ฿18.81

$1.58 BTN 153

-64.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 ฿77.5

$0.15 BTN 14.39

1440.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$0.76 BTN 73.8

97.37%

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

$20.9K ฿698.3K

$16.9K BTN 1.6M

23.37%

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

$26.7K ฿895.0K

$14.9K BTN 1.4M

78.89%

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

$61.3 ฿2,051

$33.53 BTN 3,248

82.70%

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

$12.50 ฿419

$35.48 BTN 3,438

-64.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.36 ฿682

$23.84 BTN 2,310

-14.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.94 ฿1,270

$47.09 BTN 4,562

-19.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿126

$5.86 BTN 568

-35.67%

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 ฿221

$3.03 BTN 294

117.82%

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

$774 ฿25.9K

$44.58 BTN 4,319

1636.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿483.2K

$565 BTN 54.8K

2453.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ฿1,835

$35.64 BTN 3,453

53.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.26 ฿846

$17.93 BTN 1,737

40.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 ฿3,032

$55.5 BTN 5,373

63.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ฿2,453

$25.57 BTN 2,477

186.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$459 ฿15.4K

$121 BTN 11.7K

279.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ฿9,835

$84.7 BTN 8,207

246.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 ฿30.8K

$176 BTN 17.0K

423.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$148 BTN 14.3K

273.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.2K

$5,522 BTN 534.9K

-65.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.4K

$1,650 BTN 159.8K

-12.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ฿19.8K

$313 BTN 30.3K

89.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bhutan: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8%

Bhutan

$85 17% 71.2% $209

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6%

Bhutan

$120 24% 49.3% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9%

Bhutan

$61 12.2% 44.8% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Bhutan

$93 18.7% 1.3% $1.3

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4%

Bhutan

$70 14.1% 9.4% $7.3

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Bhutan

$17 3.4% 72% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Bhutan

$53 10.7% 4% $2

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇹 Bhutan

🕒 Local time

17:43 5:43 PM

16:43 4:43 PM

1 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

787,424

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 BTN = 10.32 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BTN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Bhutanese Ngultrum exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.88 BTN (100 BTN = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 BTN (1,000 BTN = 9.21 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Bhutan 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bhutan

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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