Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Caernarfon

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,211 in Caernarfon, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. The total is higher in Caernarfon despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Caernarfon
Learn more

Caernarfon Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Caernarfon

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,211

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $1,211 in Caernarfon.

Chiang Mai $936
Caernarfon $1,211

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $2,727 in Caernarfon.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Caernarfon $2,727

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $4,243 in Caernarfon.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Caernarfon $4,243

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 23% less than in Caernarfon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Caernarfon 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$13.08 £9.85

-82.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$94.0 £70.7

-79.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$9.57 £7.20

-42.01%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.98 £2.99

-58.04%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$2.73 £2.05

-76.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.97 £1.48

-84.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$4.89 £3.68

-51.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.06 £3.06

-9.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.86 £1.40

4.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.76 £1.32

-18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.22 £1.67

-40.09%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.43 £1.83

-6.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$9.11 £6.85

80.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$7.14 £5.37

-61.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$15.44 £11.62

-39.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.66 £2.00

-11.65%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.31 £0.98

-25.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.30 £0.98

23.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.37 £1.03

9.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.71 £1.29

-25.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.81 £1.36

-39.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.38 £1.04

-48.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.66 £1.25

-70.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$22.58 £16.99

-81.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$9.08 £6.83

92.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$3.80 £2.86

-57.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.54 £2.67

-21.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$5.44 £4.09

-84.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$67.0 £50.5

-19.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$4.97 £3.74

-76.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$2.37 £1.78

-77.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$23.60 £17.76

-89.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$2.00 £1.51

-27.50%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$38.4K £28.9K

-45.21%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$40.9K £30.8K

-34.09%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$320 £241

-80.58%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$21.68 £16.32

-43.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$40.41 £30.41

-50.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$29.92 £22.52

24.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$16.22 £12.20

-59.99%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$1,608 £1,210

-54.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$24.1K £18.1K

-38.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$105 £78.9

-49.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$49.01 £36.88

-49.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$108 £80.9

-14.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$78.6 £59.2

-8.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$673 £506

-28.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,597 £1,202

-60.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$3,538 £2,663

-83.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.09

9.43%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Caernarfon: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Caernarfon

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Caernarfon

$276 22.8% 17.6% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Caernarfon

$153 12.6% 40.8% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Caernarfon

$382 31.6% 305% $288

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Caernarfon

$232 19.2% 200% $155

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Caernarfon

$106 8.7% 72.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Caernarfon

$62 5.2% 24% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $673 in Caernarfon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Caernarfon pays about 6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $94 in Caernarfon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $276 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇬🇧 Caernarfon

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

23:47 11:47 PM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

9,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Caernarfon 9,190 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Caernarfon

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 Caernarfon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 83% lower in Chiang Mai. 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: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $673 in Caernarfon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $94 in Caernarfon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $936 per month in Chiang Mai versus $1,211 in Caernarfon – Chiang Mai is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Caernarfon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.