Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Canberra

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,886 in Canberra, rent and utilities included – about $23,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Canberra
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Canberra Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Canberra

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,886

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,886 in Canberra, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Canberra $2,886

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,020 in Canberra, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Canberra $4,020

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,153 in Canberra, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Canberra $5,153

Chiang Mai is about 68% cheaper than Canberra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Canberra is 112% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$20.77 A$29.53

-89.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$89.8 A$128

-78.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$10.43 A$14.83

-46.79%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.99 A$5.67

-58.15%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$3.12 A$4.44

-79.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$2.64 A$3.75

-88.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$8.32 A$11.83

-71.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$10.11 A$14.37

-63.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.49 A$2.12

30.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$3.14 A$4.47

-54.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.53 A$3.59

-47.43%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$5.32 A$7.57

-57.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$13.15 A$18.69

25.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$9.98 A$14.19

-72.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$15.08 A$21.44

-38.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$4.03 A$5.72

-41.69%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$3.17 A$4.50

-69.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.54 A$5.04

-54.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$5.13 A$7.29

-70.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$3.22 A$4.58

-60.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$2.83 A$4.03

-61.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$2.48 A$3.53

-71.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.40 A$2.00

-65.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$44.06 A$62.7

-90.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$14.26 A$20.28

22.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$4.81 A$6.85

-66.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$5.68 A$8.08

-51.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$2.53 A$3.60

-65.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$94.8 A$135

-42.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$3.99 A$5.68

-70.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.65 A$2.35

-67.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$42.56 A$60.5

-94.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.33 A$1.89

9.02%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$28.0K A$39.8K

-24.74%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$26.3K A$37.4K

2.47%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$184 A$262

-66.26%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$26.57 A$37.78

-54.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$55.9 A$79.5

-64.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$79.4 A$113

-53.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$27.81 A$39.55

-86.44%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$16.02 A$22.78

-59.49%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$2,460 A$3,498

-70.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$20.6K A$29.3K

-28.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$76.1 A$108

-29.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$57.4 A$81.7

-57.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$107 A$153

-14.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$133 A$189

-45.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,749 A$2,486

-72.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,495 A$2,126

-79.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$3,065 A$4,358

-67.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,978 A$2,813

-67.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$11.1K A$15.8K

-78.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$7,790 A$11.1K

-79.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$4,317 A$6,139

-86.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.95

-6.39%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Canberra: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Canberra

$1.5K 51.8% 384% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Canberra

$397 13.8% 69.5% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Canberra

$168 5.8% 54.8% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Canberra

$267 9.2% 182% $172

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Canberra

$330 11.4% 326% $253

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Canberra

$117 4.1% 90.9% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Canberra

$111 3.9% 122% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,749 in Canberra. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Canberra are about 7.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $90 in Canberra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $397 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇦🇺 Canberra

🕒 Local time

00:48 12:48 AM

04:48 4:48 AM

4 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

466,566 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, 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).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Canberra 8,000 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Canberra

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 Canberra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $2,886 in Canberra – roughly 208% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $4,329 in Canberra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,749 in Canberra.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,886 in Canberra. That’s a gap of about 208%.

Public transport costs about 43% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,886 in Canberra. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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