Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cam Pha

For one person, living is cheaper in Cam Pha: $770 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Cam Pha
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Cam Pha Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Cam Pha

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$770

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Cam Pha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai versus $770 in Cam Pha.

Chiang Mai $935
Cam Pha $770

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Chiang Mai versus $1,235 in Cam Pha.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Cam Pha $1,235

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,999 in Chiang Mai versus $1,700 in Cam Pha.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Cam Pha $1,700

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 21% more expensive than in Cam Pha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Cam Pha 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$2.01 ₫51.9K

5.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$23.13 ₫595.9K

-19.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$4.24 ₫109.3K

32.08%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.85 ₫47.6K

-10.27%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$0.51 ₫13.2K

27.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.31 ₫7,929

-3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$1.14 ₫29.4K

103.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$1.96 ₫50.4K

87.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.52 ₫39.1K

32.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$0.99 ₫25.6K

42.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$0.77 ₫19.8K

80.52%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$1.46 ₫37.7K

62.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$12.26 ₫316.0K

34.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$3.57 ₫92.0K

-25.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$9.45 ₫243.4K

-4.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$3.08 ₫79.4K

-22.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$0.98 ₫25.3K

6.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$1.35 ₫34.7K

22.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.12 ₫28.9K

39.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$0.89 ₫22.9K

39.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$1.15 ₫29.7K

-5.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$0.55 ₫14.1K

38.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.54 ₫13.8K

-5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$1.37 ₫35.3K

200.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$10.68 ₫275.1K

67.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$0.92 ₫23.7K

76.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$1.60 ₫41.1K

76.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$0.32 ₫8,354

190.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$7.91 ₫203.8K

568.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$0.97 ₫25.0K

21.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.57 ₫14.7K

-70.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$2.30 ₫59.2K

-21.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$0.97 ₫25.0K

51.55%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$30.4K ₫783.0M

-30.87%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$29.7K ₫765.7M

-10.79%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$84.7 ₫2.2M

-26.15%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$5.13 ₫132.1K

126.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$8.93 ₫230.0K

127.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$20.72 ₫533.7K

82.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$8.21 ₫211.4K

-54.93%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$4.77 ₫122.8K

36.48%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$338 ₫8.7M

115.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$28.6K ₫736.6M

-42.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$45.08 ₫1.2M

18.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$28.66 ₫738.3K

-13.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$83.5 ₫2.2M

8.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$73.0 ₫1.9M

-1.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$481 ₫12.4M

0.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$269 ₫6.9M

15.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$588 ₫15.2M

79.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$588 ₫15.1M

12.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$2,343 ₫60.4M

3.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$1,344 ₫34.6M

19.71%

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 Cam Pha: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Cam Pha

$269 34.9% 13.3% $41

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Cam Pha

$192 24.9% 18.8% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Cam Pha

$104 13.4% 4.4% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Cam Pha

$99 12.8% 4.6% $4.3

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Cam Pha

$64 8.3% 16.5% $13

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Cam Pha

$13 1.7% 77.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Cam Pha

$30 3.9% 40.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $481 in Chiang Mai and $481 in Cam Pha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $23 in Cam Pha. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $192, with Cam Pha cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇻🇳 Cam Pha

🕒 Local time

22:49 10:49 PM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

182,137

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Cam Pha 900 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Cam Pha

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 Cam Pha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cam Pha wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cam Pha the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $1,156 in Cam Pha to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $481 in Chiang Mai versus $481 in Cam Pha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Cam Pha runs roughly 85% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $727 in Chiang Mai versus $338 in Cam Pha. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Cam Pha are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.