Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Buon Ma Thuot

For one person, living is cheaper in Buon Ma Thuot: $792 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. The total is higher in Chiang Mai despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Buon Ma Thuot
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Buon Ma Thuot Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Buon Ma Thuot

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$792

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Buon Ma Thuot

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 Buon Ma Thuot actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $792 in Buon Ma Thuot, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Buon Ma Thuot $792

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,182 in Buon Ma Thuot, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Buon Ma Thuot $1,182

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,572 in Buon Ma Thuot, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Buon Ma Thuot $1,572

Chiang Mai costs about 18% more than Buon Ma Thuot, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Buon Ma Thuot are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Buon Ma Thuot 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$2.08 ₫53.6K

2.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$11.47 ₫295.4K

62.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$4.16 ₫107.1K

34.62%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.01 ₫26.1K

64.36%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$0.34 ₫8,697

91.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.38 ₫9,775

-21.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$1.23 ₫31.6K

88.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$1.29 ₫33.3K

184.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.68 ₫43.2K

20.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$0.99 ₫25.5K

42.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$0.75 ₫19.4K

85.33%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$1.47 ₫37.9K

61.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$13.38 ₫344.7K

23.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$3.45 ₫88.8K

-22.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$10.41 ₫268.2K

-13.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$3.26 ₫84.0K

-26.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$1.11 ₫28.5K

-6.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$1.30 ₫33.5K

27.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.13 ₫29.0K

38.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$1.01 ₫25.9K

22.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$1.05 ₫27.0K

3.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$0.55 ₫14.0K

38.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.56 ₫14.5K

-8.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$1.60 ₫41.2K

157.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$8.50 ₫219.0K

110.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$0.77 ₫19.7K

110.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$1.61 ₫41.4K

75.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$0.32 ₫8,288

190.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$6.08 ₫156.6K

769.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$0.76 ₫19.5K

55.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.51 ₫13.2K

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$2.54 ₫65.3K

-28.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$0.99 ₫25.5K

48.48%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$33.3K ₫857.2M

-36.86%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$28.7K ₫738.1M

-7.46%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$77.0 ₫2.0M

-18.73%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$5.60 ₫144.3K

107.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$9.78 ₫251.9K

107.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$22.61 ₫582.5K

67.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$8.52 ₫219.6K

-56.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$3.12 ₫80.3K

108.65%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$351 ₫9.1M

106.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$15.6K ₫403.1M

5.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$48.54 ₫1.3M

10.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$29.52 ₫760.4K

-15.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$85.1 ₫2.2M

6.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$69.6 ₫1.8M

3.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$439 ₫11.3M

9.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$307 ₫7.9M

1.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$646 ₫16.7M

63.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$536 ₫13.8M

22.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$2,137 ₫55.1M

13.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$1,304 ₫33.6M

23.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.17

-31.82%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Buon Ma Thuot: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Buon Ma Thuot

$307 38.7% 1% $3.1

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Buon Ma Thuot

$196 24.7% 17.2% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Buon Ma Thuot

$105 13.2% 3.4% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Buon Ma Thuot

$92 11.7% 2.2% $2.1

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Buon Ma Thuot

$53 6.7% 31% $24

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Buon Ma Thuot

$11 1.4% 81.8% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Buon Ma Thuot

$29 3.6% 43.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $439 in Buon Ma Thuot. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $11 in Buon Ma Thuot. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $196 – making Buon Ma Thuot the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇻🇳 Buon Ma Thuot

🕒 Local time

02:11 2:11 AM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

245,951

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 25,761 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,880 VND (100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Buon Ma Thuot 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Buon Ma Thuot

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 Buon Ma Thuot: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai, $792 in Buon Ma Thuot – Buon Ma Thuot comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,188 in Buon Ma Thuot. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $481 in Chiang Mai and $439 in Buon Ma Thuot. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $11 in Buon Ma Thuot. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $935 in Chiang Mai and $792 in Buon Ma Thuot. That makes Buon Ma Thuot about 15% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $792 in Buon Ma Thuot, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Buon Ma Thuot – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Buon Ma Thuot is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 15% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.