Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Flic en Flac

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,158 in Flic en Flac, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Flic en Flac
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Flic en Flac Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Flic en Flac

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$1,158

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Flic en Flac

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 Flic en Flac actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,158 in Flic en Flac, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Flic en Flac $1,158

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,863 in Flic en Flac, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Flic en Flac $1,863

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,568 in Flic en Flac, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Flic en Flac $2,568

Chiang Mai is about 19% cheaper than Flic en Flac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Flic en Flac are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Flic en Flac 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$5.94 MUR 277

-62.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$54.0 MUR 2,517

-64.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.21 MUR 336

-23.02%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.57 MUR 120

-35.02%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.19 MUR 55.4

-46.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.68 MUR 31.61

-54.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.61 MUR 121

-9.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.27 MUR 199

-14.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.35 MUR 62.8

44.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.78 MUR 36.16

84.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.10 MUR 51.2

20.91%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.87 MUR 87.3

21.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$5.21 MUR 243

215.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.39 MUR 298

-56.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.10 MUR 517

-16.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.86 MUR 86.6

26.34%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$2.60 MUR 121

-62.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.40 MUR 65.4

14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.94 MUR 137

-48.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$1.02 MUR 47.66

25.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.95 MUR 44.19

15.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.68 MUR 31.89

4.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.90 MUR 42.11

-45.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.39 MUR 298

-35.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$8.53 MUR 397

105.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.64 MUR 76.5

-1.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.34 MUR 109

18.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.61 MUR 28.56

42.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$4.32 MUR 201

-73.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$3.13 MUR 146

-83.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$21.11 MUR 983

-88.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.41 MUR 65.9

2.84%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$36.2K MUR 1.7M

-41.86%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$30.8K MUR 1.4M

-12.60%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$44.90 MUR 2,092

38.46%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$10.71 MUR 499

13.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$29.59 MUR 1,378

-32.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$54.5 MUR 2,537

-31.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.43 MUR 253

19.52%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$128 MUR 5,944

476.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$7,849 MUR 365.6K

88.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$79.3 MUR 3,695

-32.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$74.1 MUR 3,453

-66.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$122 MUR 5,676

-24.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$76.6 MUR 3,568

-6.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$559 MUR 26.0K

-13.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$490 MUR 22.8K

-36.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,013 MUR 47.2K

-0.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$938 MUR 43.7K

-32.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$661 MUR 30.8K

-10.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-7.17%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Flic en Flac: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Flic en Flac

$490 42.3% 58.5% $181

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Flic en Flac

$208 17.9% 11.4% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Flic en Flac

$158 13.7% 45.8% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Flic en Flac

$85 7.4% 9.8% $9.3

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Flic en Flac

$129 11.2% 66.4% $51

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Flic en Flac

$22 * 1.9% 63.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Flic en Flac

$65 5.6% 29.9% $15

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 $559 in Flic en Flac. 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 12% higher in Flic en Flac, 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $54 in Flic en Flac. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $208 in Flic en Flac – so Flic en Flac wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇺 Flic en Flac

🕒 Local time

05:04 5:04 AM

02:04 2:04 AM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,010

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MUR = 2.15 USD

100 MUR = 1.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 46.58 MUR (100 MUR = 2.15 USD). 1 EUR = 52.21 MUR (100 MUR = 1.92 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Flic en Flac 6,280 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Flic en Flac

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 Flic en Flac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Flic en Flac costs about 24% 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 $1,737 in Flic en Flac. 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 $482 there versus $559 in Flic en Flac.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $54 in Flic en Flac. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Flic en Flac – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,158 in Flic en Flac. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,158 in Flic en Flac. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Flic en Flac makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.