Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Can Tho

For one person, living is cheaper in Can Tho: $724 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Can Tho
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Can Tho Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Can Tho

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$724

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Can Tho

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $724 in Can Tho, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Can Tho $724

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,227 in Can Tho, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Can Tho $1,227

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,729 in Can Tho, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Can Tho $1,729

Chiang Mai costs about 29% more than Can Tho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Can Tho are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Can Tho 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$1.40 ₫36.0K

52.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$23.71 ₫610.8K

-21.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$3.78 ₫97.5K

48.15%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.51 ₫39.0K

9.93%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$0.53 ₫13.6K

22.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.29 ₫7,591

3.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$1.07 ₫27.6K

116.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$1.13 ₫29.1K

224.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.32 ₫34.0K

53.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$1.18 ₫30.3K

19.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$0.80 ₫20.7K

73.75%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$1.42 ₫36.6K

66.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$12.18 ₫313.7K

35.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$3.57 ₫92.0K

-25.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$9.94 ₫256.0K

-9.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$3.14 ₫81.0K

-23.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$1.28 ₫33.1K

-18.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$1.38 ₫35.4K

20.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$0.80 ₫20.7K

95.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$0.75 ₫19.4K

65.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$0.94 ₫24.2K

15.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$0.80 ₫20.5K

-5.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-8.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$1.22 ₫31.4K

237.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$7.67 ₫197.7K

133.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$0.95 ₫24.5K

70.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$1.42 ₫36.5K

98.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$0.31 ₫7,882

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$6.30 ₫162.3K

739.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$0.46 ₫11.8K

156.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.59 ₫15.2K

-71.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$3.04 ₫78.4K

-40.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$0.91 ₫23.6K

61.54%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$31.0K ₫799.0M

-32.25%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$28.9K ₫745.6M

-8.38%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$49.32 ₫1.3M

26.85%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$3.89 ₫100.3K

198.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$9.61 ₫247.6K

111.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$20.23 ₫521.3K

87.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$7.59 ₫195.5K

-51.25%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$3.36 ₫86.5K

93.75%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$190 ₫4.9M

282.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$7,044 ₫181.4M

135.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$19.50 ₫502.4K

174.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$19.70 ₫507.6K

25.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$92.5 ₫2.4M

-2.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$94.4 ₫2.4M

-23.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$432 ₫11.1M

11.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$282 ₫7.3M

9.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$659 ₫17.0M

60.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$697 ₫18.0M

-5.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$2,427 ₫62.5M

-0.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$1,355 ₫34.9M

18.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$161 ₫4.1M

270.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.64

-35.53%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Can Tho: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Can Tho

$282 39% 8.9% $28

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Can Tho

$188 26% 20.6% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Can Tho

$102 14.1% 6.1% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Can Tho

$63 8.7% 33.5% $32

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Can Tho

$52 7.1% 32.6% $25

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Can Tho

$11 1.5% 81.4% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Can Tho

$27 3.7% 47.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $432 in Can Tho. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $24 in Can Tho. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $188 in Can Tho – so Can Tho wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇻🇳 Can Tho

🕒 Local time

23:43 11:43 PM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,258,900

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Can Tho 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Can Tho

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 Can Tho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,086 in Can Tho. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Can Tho, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $432 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $24 in Can Tho. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Can Tho – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Can Tho. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.