Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Caye Caulker

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,895 in Caye Caulker, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 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
91

Cost of Living Index in Caye Caulker
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Caye Caulker Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Caye Caulker

🇧🇿 Belize

$1,895

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Caye Caulker

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,895 in Caye Caulker, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Caye Caulker $1,895

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,731 in Caye Caulker, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Caye Caulker $2,731

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,567 in Caye Caulker, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Caye Caulker $3,567

Chiang Mai is about 51% cheaper than Caye Caulker, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chiang Mai sits 32% below the global median, while Caye Caulker is 40% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$8.34 BZD 16.69

-72.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$32.40 BZD 64.8

-39.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$7.31 BZD 14.63

-23.26%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$4.07 BZD 8.13

-59.21%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.46 BZD 2.93

-52.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$1.70 BZD 3.41

-81.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$2.99 BZD 5.98

-19.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$4.38 BZD 8.77

-15.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$2.96 BZD 5.92

-34.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.79 BZD 3.57

-21.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$4.37 BZD 8.74

-70.02%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$4.09 BZD 8.18

-46.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$11.00 BZD 22.00

51.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$7.69 BZD 15.39

-64.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$13.34 BZD 26.68

-31.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$8.28 BZD 16.57

-71.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.08 BZD 2.16

-4.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.39 BZD 2.79

17.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$2.90 BZD 5.80

-48.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$5.41 BZD 10.82

-76.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$4.51 BZD 9.02

-75.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$3.21 BZD 6.42

-77.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$1.80 BZD 3.59

-70.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$4.44 BZD 8.88

-2.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$22.29 BZD 44.58

-19.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$2.25 BZD 4.50

-29.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.47 BZD 4.94

14.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$5.11 BZD 10.23

-83.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$22.36 BZD 44.73

138.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$3.47 BZD 6.94

-65.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$3.07 BZD 6.15

-81.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$4.85 BZD 9.71

-51.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$3.09 BZD 6.17

-53.40%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$10.6K BZD 21.1K

96.36%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$21.2K BZD 42.4K

26.56%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$204 BZD 407

-69.38%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$35.62 BZD 71.3

-66.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$75.4 BZD 151

-73.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$34.93 BZD 69.9

6.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$13.74 BZD 27.47

-72.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$11.89 BZD 23.78

-45.33%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$74.9 BZD 150

-28.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$60.6 BZD 121

-59.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$152 BZD 305

-40.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$49.27 BZD 98.6

44.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$1,018 BZD 2,037

-55.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$754 BZD 1,507

-60.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$776 BZD 1,552

17.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$1,244 BZD 2,489

-55.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$2,001 BZD 4,004

-70.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Caye Caulker: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Caye Caulker

$754 39.8% 153% $456

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Caye Caulker

$381 20.1% 61.8% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Caye Caulker

$152 8% 40.3% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Caye Caulker

$315 16.6% 233% $220

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Caye Caulker

$174 9.2% 121% $95

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Caye Caulker

$62 3.3% 1.4% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Caye Caulker

$59 3.1% 17.3% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $1,018 in Caye Caulker. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 239% higher in Caye Caulker, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $32.00 in Caye Caulker. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $381 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇿 Caye Caulker

🕒 Local time

18:41 6:41 PM

05:41 5:41 AM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,729

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Belize Dollar BZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BZD = 0.5 USD

1 BZD = 0.445 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BZD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Belize Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BZD (1 BZD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.25 BZD (1 BZD = 0.445 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Caye Caulker 15,880 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Caye Caulker

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 Caye Caulker: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caye Caulker costs about 105% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,843 in Caye Caulker. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $925 in Chiang Mai and $1,895 in Caye Caulker. That's a gap of about 105%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $32.00 in Caye Caulker. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Caye Caulker at $1,895. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Caye Caulker it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,895 in Caye Caulker. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Caye Caulker makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.