Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Chon Buri

For one person, living is cheaper in Chon Buri: $814 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Chon Buri
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Chon Buri Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Chon Buri

🇹🇭 Thailand

$814

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Chon Buri

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $814 in Chon Buri, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Chon Buri $814

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,358 in Chon Buri, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Chon Buri $1,358

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,903 in Chon Buri, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Chon Buri $1,903

Chiang Mai costs about 14% more than Chon Buri, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Chon Buri are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Chon Buri 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$1.88 ฿63.0

21.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$16.18 ฿541

21.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$7.67 ฿256

-26.86%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.77 ฿59.1

-6.21%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.74 ฿24.75

-5.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.35 ฿11.60

-11.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.77 ฿59.3

36.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.90 ฿96.8

27.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.49 ฿49.76

30.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.30 ฿43.31

8.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.22 ฿40.78

7.38%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.92 ฿64.2

13.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$12.38 ฿414

34.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$2.44 ฿81.5

13.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$10.33 ฿345

-11.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$3.56 ฿119

-32.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$0.93 ฿31.14

10.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.45 ฿81.9

-33.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.63 ฿54.4

-7.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.99 ฿66.5

-35.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.04 ฿34.82

6.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.75 ฿25.22

-4.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.45 ฿15.01

17.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$4.35 ฿146

-0.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$13.97 ฿467

28.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.61 ฿53.8

-1.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.80 ฿60.2

57.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.99 ฿33.10

-13.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$2.31 ฿77.3

-47.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$1.52 ฿50.9

-62.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$6.10 ฿204

-61.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.32 ฿44.07

9.09%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$26.6K ฿889.2K

-22.09%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$22.2K ฿743.1K

20.53%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$83.6 ฿2,795

-25.46%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$9.07 ฿303

33.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$23.73 ฿793

-15.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$46.24 ฿1,545

-19.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$13.98 ฿467

-72.96%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$6.56 ฿219

-0.91%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$727 ฿24.3K

9.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$11.0K ฿367.4K

34.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$6.05 ฿202

788.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$36.20 ฿1,210

-31.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$72.8 ฿2,431

24.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$54.7 ฿1,828

30.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$531 ฿17.8K

-14.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$251 ฿8,398

18.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$1,096 ฿36.6K

-17.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$721 ฿24.1K

-23.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,662 ฿55.6K

16.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,462 ฿48.9K

-1.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$590 ฿19.7K

0.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

85.67%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chon Buri: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Chon Buri

$251 30.9% 15.6% $47

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Chon Buri

$218 26.8% 7.4% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Chon Buri

$76 9.4% 29.4% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Chon Buri

$116 14.3% 23.4% $22

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Chon Buri

$78 9.6% 0.3% $0.3

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Chon Buri

$14 * 1.7% 77.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Chon Buri

$59 7.3% 18.6% $9.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $531 in Chon Buri. 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 0% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $16.00 in Chon Buri. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $218 – making Chon Buri the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Chon Buri

🕒 Local time

18:41 6:41 PM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

70,364

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Chon Buri 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Chon Buri

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 Chon Buri: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 14% more than Chon Buri, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,221 in Chon Buri. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chon Buri, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $16.00 in Chon Buri. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chon Buri, where all-in costs run around $814, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Chon Buri it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chon Buri costs $814 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. 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 Chon Buri. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.