Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Chiayi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,041 in Chiayi, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Chiayi despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Chiayi
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Chiayi Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Chiayi

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,041

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,041 in Chiayi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Chiayi $1,041

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,471 in Chiayi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Chiayi $1,471

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,901 in Chiayi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Chiayi $1,901

Chiang Mai is about 10% cheaper than Chiayi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Chiayi are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Chiayi 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$4.59 NT$150

-51.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$46.34 NT$1,511

-59.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.65 NT$184

-1.77%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.29 NT$107

-49.24%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.85 NT$27.72

-24.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.67 NT$21.81

-53.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.98 NT$97.2

-20.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.58 NT$117

2.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.95 NT$96.2

-33.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.95 NT$63.5

-26.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$3.05 NT$99.5

-56.39%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.63 NT$85.8

-13.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$18.97 NT$619

-13.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$9.89 NT$322

-71.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$21.28 NT$694

-56.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$4.72 NT$154

-50.21%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$3.28 NT$107

-70.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.87 NT$93.5

-44.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.23 NT$138

-64.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$2.65 NT$86.2

-51.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$2.20 NT$71.6

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.72 NT$56.1

-58.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$1.12 NT$36.48

-56.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.75 NT$122

10.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$4.48 NT$146

291.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.58 NT$51.4

1.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.13 NT$69.5

30.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$12.12 NT$395

346.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$2.54 NT$82.8

-54.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.45 NT$14.70

17.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$8.97 NT$292

-73.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.00 NT$32.62

45.00%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$34.1K NT$1.1M

-38.19%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$23.5K NT$765.9K

14.69%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$64.7 NT$2,108

-3.85%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$17.55 NT$572

-30.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$26.76 NT$872

-24.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$30.55 NT$996

22.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$9.62 NT$314

-32.54%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$712 NT$23.2K

3.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$16.1K NT$525.9K

-8.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$62.2 NT$2,027

-14.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$39.01 NT$1,272

-36.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$82.8 NT$2,698

10.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$102 NT$3,317

-29.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$374 NT$12.2K

28.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$244 NT$7,940

26.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$3,070 NT$100.1K

-23.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,843 NT$60.1K

-13.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,038 NT$66.4K

-71.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.4

132.08%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiayi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Chiayi

$244 23.4% 21.2% $65

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Chiayi

$372 35.7% 58.5% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Chiayi

$129 12.4% 18.3% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Chiayi

$109 10.5% 15.4% $15

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Chiayi

$121 11.7% 56.4% $44

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Chiayi

$17 * 1.6% 72.4% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Chiayi

$50 4.8% 1% $0.5

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $374 in Chiayi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiayi are about 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $46 in Chiayi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $372 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇼 Chiayi

🕒 Local time

20:53 8:53 PM

21:53 9:53 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

269,874

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.39 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Chiayi 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Chiayi

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 Chiayi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiayi costs about 11% 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,561 in Chiayi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiayi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $374 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $712 in Chiayi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 59% more in Chiayi, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,041 in Chiayi. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,041 in Chiayi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiayi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.