Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Buckingham

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,196 in Buckingham, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 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
108

Cost of Living Index in Buckingham
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Buckingham Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Buckingham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,196

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $925 in Chiang Mai versus $2,196 in Buckingham.

Chiang Mai $925
Buckingham $2,196

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,414 in Chiang Mai versus $3,247 in Buckingham.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Buckingham $3,247

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,903 in Chiang Mai versus $4,298 in Buckingham.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Buckingham $4,298

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 58% less than in Buckingham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 32% below, Buckingham is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$19.64 £14.73

-88.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$79.7 £59.8

-75.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$10.79 £8.10

-48.01%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$4.65 £3.49

-64.30%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$2.11 £1.58

-66.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$1.53 £1.15

-79.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$5.60 £4.20

-56.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$4.61 £3.46

-19.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.52 £1.14

28.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.77 £1.33

-20.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$2.84 £2.13

-53.87%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$4.03 £3.02

-45.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$9.43 £7.08

76.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$7.76 £5.82

-64.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$16.48 £12.37

-44.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$3.19 £2.40

-25.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.61 £1.21

-36.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.80 £2.10

-41.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$3.09 £2.32

-51.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.17 £0.88

10.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.72 £1.29

-35.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.28 £0.96

-43.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$1.34 £1.01

-60.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$23.79 £17.85

-81.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$10.13 £7.60

77.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$3.20 £2.40

-50.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.31 £1.74

22.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$3.67 £2.75

-76.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$87.2 £65.4

-38.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$4.08 £3.06

-70.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$2.59 £1.94

-77.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$32.11 £24.09

-92.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.98 £1.48

-27.27%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$38.4K £28.8K

-46.06%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$39.9K £29.9K

-32.78%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$204 £153

-69.51%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$17.18 £12.89

-29.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$44.46 £33.35

-55.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$46.80 £35.11

-20.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$13.11 £9.84

-50.42%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$1,512 £1,135

-47.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$22.7K £17.0K

-34.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$87.1 £65.3

-38.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$30.57 £22.93

-19.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$72.9 £54.7

24.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$95.4 £71.6

-25.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$1,476 £1,107

-69.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$1,013 £760

-70.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$2,074 £1,556

-56.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$1,649 £1,237

-66.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$4,399 £3,300

-56.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$3,435 £2,577

-57.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$4,465 £3,350

-86.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.06

10.08%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Buckingham: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Buckingham

$1K 46.2% 240% $716

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Buckingham

$298 13.6% 26.7% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Buckingham

$129 5.9% 19% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Buckingham

$266 12.1% 182% $172

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Buckingham

$297 13.5% 278% $218

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Buckingham

$119 5.4% 95.6% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Buckingham

$73 3.3% 45.9% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $455 in Chiang Mai and $1,476 in Buckingham. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buckingham pays 656% 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 $80.0 in Buckingham for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $298 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇬🇧 Buckingham

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

11:51 11:51 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

12,890

💱 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

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Buckingham 9,030 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Buckingham

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 Buckingham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai and Buckingham differ by about 137% in total monthly costs ($925 vs $2,196 including rent). Chiang Mai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 656% lower in Buckingham. 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 $1,476 in Buckingham. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $925 per month in Chiang Mai versus $2,196 in Buckingham – a 137% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 64% less than in Buckingham. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $925 in Chiang Mai versus $2,196 in Buckingham, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Buckingham. 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 Buckingham 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 137% less than in Buckingham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.