Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Brighton

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,950 in Brighton, rent and utilities included – about $24,300 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
143

Cost of Living Index in Brighton
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Brighton Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Brighton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,950

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $925 in Chiang Mai versus $2,950 in Brighton.

Chiang Mai $925
Brighton $2,950

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,414 in Chiang Mai versus $4,214 in Brighton.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Brighton $4,214

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,903 in Chiang Mai versus $5,479 in Brighton.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Brighton $5,479

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 69% less than in Brighton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 32% below, Brighton is 118% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$25.54 £19.16

-91.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$92.8 £69.6

-78.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$9.77 £7.33

-42.58%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$5.33 £4.00

-68.86%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$3.93 £2.95

-82.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$3.33 £2.50

-90.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$8.96 £6.72

-73.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$9.49 £7.12

-60.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.95 £1.47

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$2.06 £1.54

-31.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$2.12 £1.59

-38.21%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$4.53 £3.40

-51.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$12.10 £9.08

37.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$9.40 £7.05

-70.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$15.08 £11.31

-39.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.95 £2.22

-18.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.91 £1.43

-46.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.90 £2.17

-43.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$3.76 £2.82

-60.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$2.24 £1.68

-42.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.80 £1.35

-38.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.20 £0.90

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$1.65 £1.24

-67.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$23.98 £17.99

-82.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$11.11 £8.33

61.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$3.08 £2.31

-48.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$3.24 £2.43

-12.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$3.94 £2.96

-78.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$128 £96.4

-58.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$5.07 £3.81

-76.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$2.62 £1.96

-78.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$39.62 £29.72

-94.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$2.09 £1.57

-31.10%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$38.4K £28.8K

-46.02%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$41.1K £30.9K

-34.85%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$291 £218

-78.59%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$16.90 £12.68

-28.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$44.87 £33.66

-55.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$51.2 £38.38

-27.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$26.89 £20.17

-85.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$17.32 £12.99

-62.47%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$2,062 £1,547

-61.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$30.8K £23.1K

-51.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$89.9 £67.5

-40.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$45.51 £34.14

-45.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$102 £76.8

-11.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$90.7 £68.1

-21.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$1,887 £1,416

-75.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$1,480 £1,110

-79.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$2,833 £2,125

-67.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$2,233 £1,675

-75.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$8,467 £6,352

-77.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$6,148 £4,612

-76.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$3,380 £2,536

-82.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.12

8.79%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Brighton: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Brighton

$1.5K 50.2% 397% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Brighton

$331 11.2% 40.5% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Brighton

$148 5% 36.7% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Brighton

$353 12% 274% $258

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Brighton

$390 13.2% 397% $312

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Brighton

$162 5.5% 167% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Brighton

$86 2.9% 71.4% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $455 in Chiang Mai and $1,887 in Brighton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brighton pays 472% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $20.00 in Chiang Mai vs $93.0 in Brighton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $331 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇬🇧 Brighton

🕒 Local time

23:11 11:11 PM

17:11 5:11 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

256,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Brighton 9,020 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Brighton

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 Brighton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai and Brighton differ by about 219% in total monthly costs ($925 vs $2,950 including rent). Chiang Mai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 472% lower in Brighton. 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: $455 in Chiang Mai versus $1,887 in Brighton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $793 in Chiang Mai versus $2,062 in Brighton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Brighton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $925 in Chiang Mai versus $2,950 in Brighton, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Brighton. 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 Brighton 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 219% less than in Brighton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.