Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Broken Hill

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,546 in Broken Hill, rent and utilities included – about $19,300 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Broken Hill
Learn more

Broken Hill Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Broken Hill

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,546

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Broken Hill

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai versus $2,546 in Broken Hill.

Chiang Mai $935
Broken Hill $2,546

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Chiang Mai versus $3,667 in Broken Hill.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Broken Hill $3,667

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,999 in Chiang Mai versus $4,789 in Broken Hill.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Broken Hill $4,789

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 31% below, Broken Hill is 88% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.9

$16.51 A$23.58

-87.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$90.2 A$129

-79.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$11.79 A$16.84

-52.50%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.0

$3.58 A$5.11

-53.63%

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

$0.65 ฿21.80

$2.77 A$3.96

-76.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.28

$1.97 A$2.81

-84.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$6.67 A$9.53

-65.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$7.12 A$10.16

-48.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.9

$1.65 A$2.35

22.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.45

$2.87 A$4.10

-50.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.90

$2.32 A$3.31

-40.09%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.8

$5.60 A$8.00

-57.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$9.09 A$12.99

81.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.0

$9.75 A$13.93

-72.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$13.47 A$19.23

-33.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.8

$3.95 A$5.64

-39.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.09

$2.67 A$3.81

-61.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.94 A$4.20

-43.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.5

$4.79 A$6.84

-67.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.71

$3.08 A$4.40

-59.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.62

$2.06 A$2.94

-47.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.67

$2.36 A$3.37

-67.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.33

$1.48 A$2.11

-65.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$40.56 A$57.9

-89.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿604

$15.06 A$21.50

19.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.7

$5.24 A$7.49

-69.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.1

$5.08 A$7.26

-44.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.49

$2.78 A$3.97

-66.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,782

$98.7 A$141

-46.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.65

$3.77 A$5.39

-68.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$1.52 A$2.16

-88.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$41.11 A$58.7

-95.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.63

$1.53 A$2.19

-3.92%

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

$21.0K ฿708.1K

$30.7K A$43.8K

-31.46%

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

$26.5K ฿893.6K

$27.8K A$39.7K

-4.69%

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

$62.6 ฿2,108

$183 A$261

-65.77%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$23.55 A$33.64

-50.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿684

$55.9 A$79.9

-63.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,277

$61.5 A$87.9

-38.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$17.92 A$25.59

-79.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$13.09 A$18.69

-50.27%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$2,112 A$3,016

-65.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿558.5K

$21.8K A$31.1K

-23.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,804

$87.8 A$125

-39.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$58.8 A$84.0

-57.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,046

$97.4 A$139

-7.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,425

$113 A$161

-36.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$1,393 A$1,989

-65.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$1,265 A$1,807

-75.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$2,340 A$3,342

-54.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$1,863 A$2,660

-64.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$5,118 A$7,309

-52.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.2K

$4,897 A$6,994

-67.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.91

-5.75%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Broken Hill: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Broken Hill

$1.3K 49.7% 308% $955

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Broken Hill

$372 14.6% 57.2% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Broken Hill

$161 6.3% 48.3% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Broken Hill

$262 10.3% 178% $168

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Broken Hill

$277 10.9% 262% $200

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Broken Hill

$121 4.8% 107% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Broken Hill

$88 3.4% 72.3% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $481 in Chiang Mai and $1,393 in Broken Hill. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $90 in Broken Hill for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $372 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇦🇺 Broken Hill

🕒 Local time

21:42 9:42 PM

01:12 1:12 AM

3 h 30 min ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

17,456

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Broken Hill 7,230 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Broken Hill

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 Broken Hill: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai is about 63% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $3,818 in Broken Hill to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $481 in Chiang Mai versus $1,393 in Broken Hill. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $727 in Chiang Mai versus $2,112 in Broken Hill. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Broken Hill. 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.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Broken Hill are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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