Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Burton upon Trent

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,187 in Burton upon Trent, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 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
105

Cost of Living Index in Burton upon Trent
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Burton upon Trent Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Burton upon Trent

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,187

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Burton upon Trent

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 Burton upon Trent actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $938 in Chiang Mai versus $2,187 in Burton upon Trent.

Chiang Mai $938
Burton upon Trent $2,187

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,426 in Chiang Mai versus $3,187 in Burton upon Trent.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Burton upon Trent $3,187

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,914 in Chiang Mai versus $4,186 in Burton upon Trent.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Burton upon Trent $4,186

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 57% less than in Burton upon Trent, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 30% below, Burton upon Trent is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$19.86 £14.90

-88.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$70.6 £53.0

-72.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$9.00 £6.75

-37.89%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$4.74 £3.56

-63.71%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$3.27 £2.45

-80.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$2.68 £2.01

-87.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$4.37 £3.28

-46.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$6.30 £4.73

-38.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.63 £1.22

25.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$2.17 £1.63

-35.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.69 £1.27

-24.26%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$3.40 £2.55

-33.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$6.18 £4.64

174.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$7.12 £5.34

-61.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$12.81 £9.61

-26.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$2.05 £1.54

17.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.73 £1.30

-41.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.82 £1.36

-11.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.70 £1.27

-10.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.46 £1.10

-12.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.60 £1.20

-30.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.42 £0.32

71.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.53 £1.15

-66.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$16.07 £12.05

-73.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$7.70 £5.77

130.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.69 £1.27

-3.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.96 £1.47

45.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$3.50 £2.63

-75.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$96.7 £72.5

-44.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$2.61 £1.96

-55.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.67 £1.25

-65.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$31.46 £23.61

-92.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.83 £1.37

-20.77%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$40.3K £30.3K

-49.22%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$44.3K £33.2K

-40.10%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$342 £256

-81.76%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$28.57 £21.43

-57.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$38.09 £28.57

-47.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$46.08 £34.57

-17.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$11.44 £8.59

-41.35%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$1,903 £1,428

-58.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$23.9K £17.9K

-37.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$84.6 £63.5

-37.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$59.4 £44.54

-57.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$109 £82.1

-16.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$160 £120

-54.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$1,198 £899

-61.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$858 £644

-64.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$2,060 £1,545

-55.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$1,418 £1,063

-61.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$4,993 £3,746

-61.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$3,904 £2,929

-63.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$3,059 £2,295

-80.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.3

5.09%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Burton upon Trent: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Burton upon Trent

$858 39.2% 182% $554

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Burton upon Trent

$243 11.1% 2% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Burton upon Trent

$186 8.5% 70.1% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Burton upon Trent

$408 18.7% 332% $314

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Burton upon Trent

$301 13.8% 281% $222

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Burton upon Trent

$122 5.6% 98.4% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Burton upon Trent

$69 3.2% 34.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $464 in Chiang Mai and $1,198 in Burton upon Trent. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Burton upon Trent pays 414% 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: $19.00 in Chiang Mai vs $71.0 in Burton upon Trent for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $243 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇬🇧 Burton upon Trent

🕒 Local time

13:26 1:26 PM

07:26 7:26 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

122,199

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Burton upon Trent 9,040 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Burton upon Trent

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 Burton upon Trent: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 133% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 414% lower in Burton upon Trent. 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: $464 in Chiang Mai versus $1,198 in Burton upon Trent. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Chiang Mai versus $1,903 in Burton upon Trent. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 2% higher in Burton upon Trent. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $2,187 in Burton upon Trent, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Burton upon Trent. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Chiang Mai is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Burton upon Trent, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Burton upon Trent 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 133% less than in Burton upon Trent. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.