Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cali

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,060 in Cali, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Cali
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Cali Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Cali

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,060

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,060 in Cali.

Chiang Mai $938
Cali $1,060

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,426 in Chiang Mai versus $1,626 in Cali.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Cali $1,626

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,914 in Chiang Mai versus $2,192 in Cali.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Cali $2,192

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 11% less than in Cali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 30% lower, Cali 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$7.32 COP 23.2K

-69.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$37.35 COP 118.4K

-48.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$8.32 COP 26.4K

-32.81%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.52 COP 4,832

13.16%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.23 COP 3,885

-47.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.86 COP 2,728

-61.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$3.11 COP 9,872

-24.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.80 COP 12.1K

2.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.54 COP 4,891

33.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.96 COP 6,203

-28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.48 COP 4,701

-13.51%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$2.91 COP 9,242

-22.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$6.31 COP 20.0K

168.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$6.85 COP 21.7K

-60.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-8.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$3.45 COP 10.9K

-30.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.40 COP 4,433

-27.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.79 COP 5,668

-10.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.65 COP 5,223

-7.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.43 COP 4,539

-10.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.55 COP 4,917

-28.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.14 COP 3,613

-36.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.94 COP 2,983

-44.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$3.79 COP 12.0K

14.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$12.94 COP 41.0K

37.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.43 COP 4,539

13.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.55 COP 8,079

11.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$1.07 COP 3,387

-20.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$30.29 COP 96.0K

77.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$0.78 COP 2,488

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.34 COP 4,245

8.21%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$35.4K COP 112.1M

-25.03%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$110 COP 347.5K

-43.13%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$12.96 COP 41.1K

-5.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$30.06 COP 95.3K

-33.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$28.81 COP 91.3K

31.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$8.40 COP 26.6K

-20.12%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$78.4 COP 248.5K

-32.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$53.2 COP 168.8K

-52.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$126 COP 398.3K

-27.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$111 COP 351.4K

-33.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$655 COP 2.1M

-29.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$288 COP 914.6K

5.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$1,558 COP 4.9M

-41.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$498 COP 1.6M

11.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$585 COP 1.9M

1.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.58

-51.90%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cali: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Cali

$288 27.2% 5.3% $16

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Cali

$239 22.5% 0.4% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Cali

$166 15.6% 51.2% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Cali

$153 14.4% 61.4% $58

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Cali

$133 12.6% 68.7% $54

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Cali

$35 * 3.3% 42.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Cali

$46 4.3% 11.2% $5.7

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 $464 in Chiang Mai and $655 in Cali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $19.00 in Chiang Mai vs $37.00 in Cali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $239 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇴 Cali

🕒 Local time

20:08 8:08 PM

08:08 8:08 AM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,568,609

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Cali 17,490 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Cali

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 Cali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 13% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Chiang Mai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $464 in Chiang Mai versus $655 in Cali. 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 $19.00 versus $37.00 in Cali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 78% less than in Cali. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,060 in Cali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Cali. 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 Cali, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Cali 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 13% less than in Cali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.