Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Blonduos

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,714 in Blonduos, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. The total is higher in Blonduos despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Blonduos
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Blonduos Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Blonduos

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,714 in Blonduos, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Blonduos $1,714

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,916 in Blonduos, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Blonduos $2,916

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,117 in Blonduos, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Blonduos $4,117

Chiang Mai is about 45% cheaper than Blonduos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Blonduos is 27% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$30.58 ISK 3,715

-93.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$122 ISK 14.9K

-84.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$26.51 ISK 3,222

-78.88%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$6.91 ISK 840

-75.98%

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

$0.65 ฿21.63

$3.23 ISK 392

-79.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$3.09 ISK 376

-90.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

$14.10 ISK 1,713

-83.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$12.45 ISK 1,513

-70.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.4

$2.02 ISK 246

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$4.17 ISK 506

-66.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$3.58 ISK 435

-61.17%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$7.16 ISK 870

-66.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$22.08 ISK 2,683

-25.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$24.29 ISK 2,951

-89.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$41.68 ISK 5,064

-78.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$3.38 ISK 411

-28.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$2.84 ISK 345

-63.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$3.19 ISK 388

-47.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$6.33 ISK 769

-75.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$3.93 ISK 478

-68.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$1.65 ISK 200

-33.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

$3.65 ISK 443

-79.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$1.75 ISK 213

-70.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$13.71 ISK 1,666

-69.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

$24.14 ISK 2,933

-25.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$3.53 ISK 429

-54.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

$3.38 ISK 410

-16.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

$6.80 ISK 827

-82.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

$2.79 ISK 339

-93.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$81.5 ISK 9,906

-97.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$2.00 ISK 243

-26.50%

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

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$68.0K ISK 8.3M

-69.12%

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

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$55.4K ISK 6.7M

-52.16%

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

$62.6 ฿2,092

$96.2 ISK 11.7K

-34.94%

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

$11.60 ฿388

$32.29 ISK 3,923

-64.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$87.2 ISK 10.6K

-76.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$19.57 ISK 2,378

-66.73%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$1,187 ISK 144.2K

-38.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$25.6K ISK 3.1M

-35.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

$147 ISK 17.9K

-63.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

$66.9 ISK 8,132

-62.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

$185 ISK 22.5K

-51.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

$249 ISK 30.2K

-71.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.81

-36.78%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Blonduos: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Blonduos

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Blonduos

$619 36.1% 162% $383

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Blonduos

$292 17% 169% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Blonduos

$216 12.6% 128% $121

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Blonduos

$528 30.8% 589% $451

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Blonduos

$21 * 1.2% 64.6% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Blonduos

$39 * 2.3% 23.1% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $122 in Blonduos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $619 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇸 Blonduos

🕒 Local time

19:04 7:04 PM

12:04 12:04 PM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

900

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Blonduos 9,350 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Blonduos

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 Blonduos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Blonduos costs about 83% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,572 in Blonduos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $122 in Blonduos. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 162% more in Blonduos, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,714 in Blonduos. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,714 in Blonduos. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.