Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cairns Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cairns

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 47.8% cheaper than Cairns without rent, and 62.2% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 55.1% cheaper than Cairns without rent, and 59.2% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.02 ฿65.3

$11.67 A$17.88

-82.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.78 ฿608

$81.9 A$125

-77.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.67 ฿248

$10.66 A$16.33

-28.05%

Cappuccino

$1.98 ฿64.2

$3.92 A$6.01

-49.49%

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

$0.82 ฿26.64

$2.73 A$4.19

-69.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿10.58

$2.26 A$3.46

-85.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.12 ฿68.6

$6.58 A$10.09

-67.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿121

$7.07 A$10.83

-47.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ฿53.2

$1.7 A$2.61

-3.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 ฿50.9

$2.51 A$3.85

-37.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 ฿38.62

$2.71 A$4.15

-56.09%

Eggs

$1.98 ฿64.1

$3.93 A$6.02

-49.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.99 ฿517

$7.87 A$12.06

103.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 ฿101

$9.19 A$14.08

-66.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿361

$12.84 A$19.67

-13.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 ฿89.2

$2.99 A$4.58

-7.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ฿39.5

$2.31 A$3.53

-47.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 ฿55.4

$2.66 A$4.07

-35.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 ฿50.2

$7.39 A$11.32

-79.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 ฿43.21

$2.28 A$3.5

-41.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 ฿39.23

$2.23 A$3.42

-45.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿23.2

$2.27 A$3.47

-68.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.05

$2.88 A$4.42

-81.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.72 ฿153

$29.83 A$45.69

-84.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.39 ฿595

$11.03 A$16.89

66.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ฿57.9

$3.39 A$5.2

-47.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 ฿104

$3.52 A$5.39

-8.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 ฿30.44

$3.22 A$4.94

-70.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.9 ฿612

$65.4 A$100

-71.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.42 ฿46.08

$6.44 A$9.86

-77.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 ฿43.53

$3.13 A$4.8

-56.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.85 ฿254

$33.86 A$51.9

-76.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ฿40.4

$1.15 A$1.77

8.70%

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

$21.2K ฿684.9K

$22.7K A$34.8K

-6.78%

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

$21.8K ฿706.8K

$19.2K A$29.4K

13.91%

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

$70.6 ฿2,285

$153 A$234

-53.82%

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

$13.72 ฿444

$37.09 A$56.8

-63.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.56 ฿568

$59 A$90.3

-70.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.64 ฿1,347

$38.89 A$59.6

7.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.9 ฿223

$15.92 A$24.39

-56.66%

Cinema Ticket

$5.8 ฿188

$12.98 A$19.88

-55.32%

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

$308 ฿9,963

$1,628 A$2,494

-81.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K ฿475.8K

$12.1K A$18.5K

21.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 ฿1,793

$83 A$127

-33.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.4 ฿854

$66.2 A$101

-60.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 ฿2,755

$98.2 A$150

-13.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.8 ฿2,323

$135 A$206

-46.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 ฿14K

$1,193 A$1,828

-63.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ฿7,610

$1,110 A$1,701

-78.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 ฿26.6K

$2,042 A$3,128

-59.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$498 ฿16.1K

$1,858 A$2,847

-73.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,180 ฿70.6K

$6,035 A$9,246

-63.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,543 ฿49.9K

$4,795 A$7,346

-67.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$703 ฿22.8K

$2,813 A$4,310

-75.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.96

-28.16%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 29, 2025

Last update for Cairns: October 27, 2025

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