Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bridgend

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,521 in Bridgend, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 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
118

Cost of Living Index in Bridgend
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Bridgend Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Bridgend

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,521

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai versus $2,521 in Bridgend.

Chiang Mai $935
Bridgend $2,521

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Chiang Mai versus $3,580 in Bridgend.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Bridgend $3,580

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,999 in Chiang Mai versus $4,638 in Bridgend.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Bridgend $4,638

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 63% less than in Bridgend, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 31% below, Bridgend is 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$20.07 £14.92

-89.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$83.3 £61.9

-77.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$10.80 £8.03

-48.15%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$4.11 £3.06

-59.61%

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

$0.65 ฿21.63

$2.62 £1.94

-75.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$1.82 £1.35

-83.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

$5.93 £4.41

-60.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$7.24 £5.38

-49.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.4

$1.59 £1.18

27.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$1.95 £1.45

-27.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$2.89 £2.15

-51.90%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$6.24 £4.64

-62.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$9.26 £6.88

78.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$11.56 £8.59

-76.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$14.91 £11.08

-39.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$3.10 £2.31

-22.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$1.59 £1.19

-34.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$2.44 £1.81

-31.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$3.35 £2.49

-53.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$1.65 £1.23

-24.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$1.36 £1.01

-19.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

$1.06 £0.79

-28.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$1.58 £1.18

-67.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$23.88 £17.74

-82.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

$11.03 £8.20

62.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$2.54 £1.89

-36.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

$3.46 £2.57

-18.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

$3.92 £2.92

-76.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

$97.5 £72.5

-45.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

$5.83 £4.33

-79.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

$2.22 £1.65

-92.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$27.59 £20.50

-93.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$2.06 £1.53

-28.64%

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

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$39.4K £29.3K

-46.69%

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

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$49.9K £37.1K

-46.83%

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

$62.6 ฿2,092

$371 £276

-83.13%

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

$11.60 ฿388

$25.29 £18.79

-54.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$36.10 £26.83

-43.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

$49.65 £36.90

-23.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$10.88 £8.09

-65.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$13.22 £9.83

-50.76%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$1,785 £1,327

-59.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$26.4K £19.6K

-37.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

$88.5 £65.8

-39.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

$45.18 £33.57

-45.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

$90.2 £67.0

0.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

$94.3 £70.1

-23.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$1,105 £822

-56.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$1,109 £824

-72.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

$1,184 £880

-10.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$1,641 £1,220

-59.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

$5,737 £4,264

-57.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

$3,486 £2,590

-53.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$2,284 £1,697

-73.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.09

9.43%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bridgend: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Bridgend

$1.1K 44% 258% $799

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Bridgend

$326 13% 37.9% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Bridgend

$143 5.7% 32.2% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bridgend

$432 17.2% 358% $338

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Bridgend

$304 12.1% 297% $228

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Bridgend

$130 5.2% 122% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Bridgend

$76 3% 49.5% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $481 in Chiang Mai and $1,105 in Bridgend. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bridgend pays about 3.8 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $83 in Bridgend for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $326 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇬🇧 Bridgend

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

16:04 4:04 PM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

46,757

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 GBP = 1.35 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Bridgend 9,220 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bridgend

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 Bridgend: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $935 in Chiang Mai and $2,521 in Bridgend, so Chiang Mai is about 63% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 74% lower in Chiang Mai. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $481 in Chiang Mai versus $1,105 in Bridgend. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $727 in Chiang Mai versus $1,785 in Bridgend. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Bridgend. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Bridgend. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.