Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Brunei

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,350 in Brunei, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$906
/mo nomad
🇧🇳 Brunei
$1,350
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 29.8% cheaper than Brunei without rent, and 32.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 30.2% cheaper than Brunei without rent, and 30.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Brunei
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.13 ฿71.4
$4.94 BND 6.33
-56.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.40 ฿649
$36.92 BND 47.26
-47.45%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.47 ฿183
$6.12 BND 7.83
-10.62%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.96 BND 2.52
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.42 BND 3.09
-
Cappuccino
$1.68 ฿56.4
$4.15 BND 5.32
-59.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 ฿22.10
$1.13 BND 1.44
-41.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 ฿11.52
$0.72 BND 0.92
-52.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.42 ฿81.0
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.73 ฿125
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Brunei
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.06 ฿68.9
$2.23 BND 2.86
-7.62%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿48.78
$1.99 BND 2.55
-26.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.35 ฿45.09
$2.08 BND 2.66
-35.10%
Eggs
$2.27 ฿76.0
$2.37 BND 3.04
-4.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.31 ฿546
$16.59 BND 21.24
-1.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.70 ฿90.3
$7.20 BND 9.21
-62.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.20 ฿308
$17.39 BND 22.26
-47.10%
Apples (1kg)
$2.39 ฿80.1
$3.93 BND 5.03
-39.19%
Banana (1kg)
$1.04 ฿34.66
$3.83 BND 4.91
-72.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.7
$3.56 BND 4.56
-55.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.44 ฿48.37
$4.16 BND 5.33
-65.38%
Potato (1kg)
$1.30 ฿43.59
$2.42 BND 3.10
-46.28%
Onion (1kg)
$1.11 ฿37.29
$2.28 BND 2.92
-51.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.70 ฿23.55
$4.49 BND 5.75
-84.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿16.99
$1.05 BND 1.34
-51.43%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$15.76 BND 20.18
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$5.09 BND 6.52
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.11 BND 1.42
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.13 ฿138
$11.60 BND 14.85
-64.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.78 ฿595
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.63 ฿54.7
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.87 ฿96.0
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Brunei
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.86 ฿28.76
$0.79 BND 1.01
8.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.2 ฿1,780
$0.80 BND 1.02
6543.75%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.22 ฿40.81
$3.98 BND 5.10
-69.35%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.56 ฿18.81
$3.39 BND 4.34
-83.48%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.31 ฿77.5
$11.94 BND 15.29
-80.65%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.50 ฿50.2
$0.40 BND 0.52
275.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.9K ฿698.3K
$43.0K BND 55.0K
-51.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿895.0K
$30.0K BND 38.4K
-10.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Brunei
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$61.3 ฿2,051
$56.9 BND 72.8
7.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.50 ฿419
$21.44 BND 27.45
-41.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.36 ฿682
$92.4 BND 118
-77.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Brunei
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.94 ฿1,270
$50.1 BND 64.2
-24.30%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿126
$5.80 BND 7.42
-35.00%
Cinema Ticket
$6.60 ฿221
$5.54 BND 7.09
19.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Brunei
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$774 ฿25.9K
$178 BND 228
334.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.4K ฿483.2K
$11.3K BND 14.5K
27.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Brunei
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.8 ฿1,835
$78.3 BND 100
-29.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.26 ฿846
$85.3 BND 109
-70.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.6 ฿3,032
$114 BND 146
-20.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.3 ฿2,453
$99.2 BND 127
-26.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Brunei
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$459 ฿15.4K
$737 BND 944
-37.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$294 ฿9,835
$506 BND 648
-42.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$919 ฿30.8K
$1,132 BND 1,449
-18.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$552 ฿18.5K
$789 BND 1,010
-30.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,917 ฿64.2K
$3,063 BND 3,921
-37.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,445 ฿48.4K
$2,309 BND 2,956
-37.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Brunei
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$592 ฿19.8K
$2,239 BND 2,866
-73.54%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
3.88
43.56%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Brunei: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$294
Brunei
$506 72.4% $213
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$236
Brunei
$318 34.8% $82
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$110
Brunei
$169 54.4% $60
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Brunei
$171 81.4% $77
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$77
Brunei
$115 49% $38
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Brunei
$25 59% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$51
Brunei
$61 19.7% $10
Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇧🇳 Brunei
🕒 Local time
19:17 7:17 PM
20:17 8:17 PM
1 h ahead of Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
458,949
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 BND (1 BND = 0.697 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Brunei 2,320 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Brunei

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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