Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ely, Cambridgeshire

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,360 in Ely, Cambridgeshire, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Ely, Cambridgeshire
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Ely, Cambridgeshire Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Ely, Cambridgeshire

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,360

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Ely, Cambridgeshire

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,360 in Ely, Cambridgeshire, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Ely, Cambridgeshire $2,360

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,574 in Ely, Cambridgeshire, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Ely, Cambridgeshire $3,574

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,789 in Ely, Cambridgeshire, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Ely, Cambridgeshire $4,789

Chiang Mai is about 60% cheaper than Ely, Cambridgeshire, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Ely, Cambridgeshire is 75% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.6

$23.91 £17.85

-91.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿624

$95.0 £70.9

-80.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$13.26 £9.90

-57.77%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.8

$5.34 £3.98

-68.91%

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

$0.65 ฿21.69

$2.40 £1.79

-72.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.22

$1.69 £1.26

-82.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.9

$5.25 £3.92

-55.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.38 £2.53

8.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$1.20 £0.90

68.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.21

$1.60 £1.19

-11.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.67

$2.74 £2.05

-49.27%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.4

$3.51 £2.62

-32.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿554

$10.78 £8.05

53.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.5

$11.58 £8.65

-76.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$17.28 £12.90

-47.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.4

$4.03 £3.01

-40.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.91

$1.37 £1.02

-24.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.65 £1.98

-37.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$4.49 £3.35

-65.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.50

$1.66 £1.24

-25.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.44

$1.58 £1.18

-31.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.54

$1.16 £0.87

-34.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.24

$1.50 £1.12

-66.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$21.53 £16.08

-80.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿601

$10.70 £7.99

67.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$2.13 £1.59

-23.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.6

$2.82 £2.11

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.33

$5.83 £4.35

-84.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,773

$57.7 £43.07

-8.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.45

$4.46 £3.33

-73.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.75

$2.29 £1.71

-92.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.38

$2.16 £1.61

-31.94%

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

$21.0K ฿704.5K

$40.7K £30.4K

-48.34%

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

$26.5K ฿889.1K

$41.2K £30.8K

-35.63%

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

$62.6 ฿2,098

$284 £212

-77.93%

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

$11.60 ฿389

$16.89 £12.61

-31.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿681

$33.61 £25.09

-39.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,270

$44.40 £33.15

-14.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$15.96 £11.92

-76.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$15.90 £11.87

-59.06%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$1,747 £1,304

-58.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿555.7K

$14.8K £11.0K

12.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,795

$97.0 £72.4

-44.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿832

$56.1 £41.84

-55.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,031

$125 £93.0

-27.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,413

$103 £77.1

-30.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$1,155 £862

-58.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$1,012 £755

-69.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$1,895 £1,414

-44.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$1,749 £1,306

-62.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

$5,812 £4,339

-58.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.9K

$5,135 £3,833

-68.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$3,333 £2,488

-82.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.62

20.56%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ely, Cambridgeshire: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$1K 42.9% 227% $702

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$325 13.8% 37.3% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$171 7.3% 58.2% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$334 14.2% 254% $240

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$345 14.6% 350% $268

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$97 4.1% 65.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Ely, Cambridgeshire

$76 3.2% 49.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $1,155 in Ely, Cambridgeshire. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Ely, Cambridgeshire are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $95 in Ely, Cambridgeshire. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $325 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇬🇧 Ely, Cambridgeshire

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

21:45 9:45 PM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

20,574

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Ely, Cambridgeshire 8,940 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ely, Cambridgeshire

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 Ely, Cambridgeshire: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ely, Cambridgeshire costs about 152% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $3,540 in Ely, Cambridgeshire. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $1,155 in Ely, Cambridgeshire.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,747 in Ely, Cambridgeshire. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Ely, Cambridgeshire, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $2,360 in Ely, Cambridgeshire. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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