Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Elgin Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Elgin

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 41% cheaper than Elgin without rent, and 49.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 44.1% cheaper than Elgin without rent, and 51.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Elgin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.02 ฿65.3
$18.05 £13.29
-88.81%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.78 ฿608
$82.5 £60.7
-77.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.67 ฿248
$6.92 £5.09
10.84%
Cappuccino
$1.98 ฿64.2
$4.05 £2.98
-51.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 ฿26.64
$1.39 £1.02
-41.01%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ฿10.58
$1.33 £0.98
-75.19%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.12 ฿68.6
$4.86 £3.58
-56.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.73 ฿121
$5.47 £4.02
-31.81%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Elgin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 ฿53.2
$1.78 £1.31
-7.87%
White Bread (500g)
$1.57 ฿50.9
$1.7 £1.25
-7.65%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 ฿38.62
$2.65 £1.95
-55.09%
Eggs
$1.98 ฿64.1
$4 £2.94
-50.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.99 ฿517
$9.83 £7.23
62.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.12 ฿101
$9 £6.62
-65.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.16 ฿361
$13.39 £9.85
-16.65%
Apples (1kg)
$2.76 ฿89.2
$3.28 £2.42
-15.85%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 ฿39.5
$1.03 £0.76
18.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.71 ฿55.4
$1.98 £1.46
-13.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.55 ฿50.2
$3.71 £2.73
-58.22%
Potato (1kg)
$1.34 ฿43.21
$0.66 £0.49
103.03%
Onion (1kg)
$1.21 ฿39.23
$1.16 £0.86
4.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.72 ฿23.2
$0.66 £0.48
9.09%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 ฿17.05
$1.01 £0.74
-47.52%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.72 ฿153
$21.04 £15.48
-77.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.39 ฿595
$10.8 £7.94
70.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 ฿57.9
$2.9 £2.14
-38.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.21 ฿104
$3.33 £2.45
-3.60%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Elgin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.94 ฿30.44
$4.46 £3.28
-78.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.9 ฿612
$125 £92
-84.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.42 ฿46.08
$5.54 £4.08
-74.37%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 ฿43.53
$2.25 £1.66
-40.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.85 ฿254
$27.5 £20.24
-71.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.25 ฿40.4
$1.95 £1.44
-35.90%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ฿684.9K
$38.6K £28.4K
-45.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K ฿706.8K
$38.8K £28.6K
-43.71%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Elgin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$70.6 ฿2,285
$212 £156
-66.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.72 ฿444
$17.45 £12.84
-21.38%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.56 ฿568
$40.2 £29.58
-56.32%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Elgin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.64 ฿1,347
$30.43 £22.39
36.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.9 ฿223
$12.37 £9.1
-44.22%
Cinema Ticket
$5.8 ฿188
$10.76 £7.92
-46.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Elgin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$308 ฿9,963
$1,144 £842
-73.08%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.7K ฿475.8K
$18.5K £13.6K
-20.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Elgin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.4 ฿1,793
$36.84 £27.11
50.38%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.4 ฿854
$27.57 £20.29
-4.24%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.1 ฿2,755
$95.9 £70.6
-11.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.8 ฿2,323
$109 £80.3
-34.24%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Elgin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$434 ฿14K
$925 £681
-53.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$235 ฿7,610
$622 £458
-62.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$821 ฿26.6K
$1,837 £1,352
-55.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$498 ฿16.1K
$1,222 £899
-59.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,180 ฿70.6K
$2,565 £1,888
-15.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,543 ฿49.9K
$2,166 £1,594
-28.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Elgin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$703 ฿22.8K
$2,021 £1,487
-65.19%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
5.32
-6.02%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 29, 2025

Last update for Elgin: October 29, 2025

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