Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cardiff

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,454 in Cardiff, rent and utilities included – about $18,200 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
119

Cost of Living Index in Cardiff
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Cardiff Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Cardiff

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,454

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $938 in Chiang Mai versus $2,454 in Cardiff.

Chiang Mai $938
Cardiff $2,454

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,426 in Chiang Mai versus $3,414 in Cardiff.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Cardiff $3,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,914 in Chiang Mai versus $4,373 in Cardiff.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Cardiff $4,373

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 62% less than in Cardiff, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 30% below, Cardiff is 82% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$20.04 £15.04

-88.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$83.4 £62.6

-77.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$10.74 £8.06

-47.95%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$4.45 £3.34

-61.35%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.92 £2.19

-78.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$2.00 £1.50

-83.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$7.80 £5.85

-69.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$6.32 £4.74

-38.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.72 £1.29

19.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.43 £1.07

-2.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$2.15 £1.61

-40.47%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$3.62 £2.72

-37.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$9.47 £7.11

78.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$8.85 £6.64

-69.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$16.18 £12.14

-42.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$2.80 £2.10

-14.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.55 £1.16

-34.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$3.03 £2.28

-46.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$3.51 £2.63

-56.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.99 £1.50

-35.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.54 £1.15

-27.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.09 £0.82

-33.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.64 £1.23

-68.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$23.08 £17.31

-81.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$11.07 £8.31

60.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$3.05 £2.29

-46.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$3.31 £2.48

-13.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$3.21 £2.41

-73.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$79.1 £59.3

-31.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$4.58 £3.44

-74.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.66 £1.25

-65.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$35.87 £26.91

-93.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$2.06 £1.55

-29.61%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$37.9K £28.4K

-45.91%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$40.9K £30.7K

-35.12%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$335 £252

-81.42%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$25.35 £19.02

-51.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$43.54 £32.67

-54.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$37.26 £27.95

1.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$11.37 £8.53

-66.93%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$10.36 £7.77

-35.23%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$1,990 £1,493

-59.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$32.5K £24.4K

-54.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$97.8 £73.4

-45.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$48.54 £36.41

-48.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$116 £86.9

-20.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$99.4 £74.6

-26.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$1,168 £876

-60.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$1,102 £826

-72.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$2,136 £1,602

-57.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$1,482 £1,112

-62.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$5,255 £3,942

-63.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$3,432 £2,575

-58.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$3,179 £2,385

-81.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.11

9.00%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cardiff: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Cardiff

$1.1K 44.9% 262% $797

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Cardiff

$306 12.5% 28.5% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Cardiff

$163 6.6% 48.6% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Cardiff

$404 16.5% 328% $310

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Cardiff

$317 12.9% 302% $238

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Cardiff

$105 4.3% 70.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Cardiff

$58 2.4% 12.9% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $464 in Chiang Mai and $1,168 in Cardiff. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cardiff pays 434% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $19.00 in Chiang Mai vs $83.0 in Cardiff for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $306 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇬🇧 Cardiff

🕒 Local time

03:30 3:30 AM

21:30 9:30 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

346,100

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Cardiff 9,190 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Cardiff

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 Cardiff: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai and Cardiff differ by about 162% in total monthly costs ($938 vs $2,454 including rent). Chiang Mai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 434% lower in Cardiff. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $464 in Chiang Mai versus $1,168 in Cardiff. 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 $83.0 in Cardiff. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $938 per month in Chiang Mai versus $2,454 in Cardiff – a 162% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $2,454 in Cardiff, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Cardiff. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Cardiff 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 162% less than in Cardiff. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.