Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Fond du Sac

For one person, living is cheaper in Fond du Sac: $625 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Fond du Sac, Mauritius
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Fond du Sac
🇲🇺 Mauritius
$625
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Fond du Sac

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 Fond du Sac actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $625 in Fond du Sac, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Fond du Sac $625

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,027 in Fond du Sac, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Fond du Sac $1,027

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,429 in Fond du Sac, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Fond du Sac $1,429

Chiang Mai costs about 50% more than Fond du Sac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Fond du Sac are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Fond du Sac 54% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Fond du Sac
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.5
$5.92 MUR 279
-62.16%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿640
$28.02 MUR 1,320
-32.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿187
$7.45 MUR 351
-25.50%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.4
$2.61 MUR 123
-36.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.51
$1.04 MUR 49.15
-38.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.29
$0.66 MUR 31.12
-53.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.5
$2.11 MUR 99.2
11.85%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿123
$2.62 MUR 123
39.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Fond du Sac
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.7
$1.55 MUR 73.1
25.81%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.41
$0.78 MUR 36.91
84.62%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿44.97
$1.16 MUR 54.8
14.66%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.0
$2.54 MUR 120
-10.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿554
$5.18 MUR 244
217.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿93.8
$6.43 MUR 303
-56.77%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$11.29 MUR 532
-17.54%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.3
$2.74 MUR 129
-14.23%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.75
$2.71 MUR 128
-64.21%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.8
$1.45 MUR 68.5
10.34%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$3.02 MUR 142
-50.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.06
$0.95 MUR 44.65
34.74%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.14
$0.95 MUR 45.00
15.79%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.79
$0.69 MUR 32.74
2.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.34
$0.86 MUR 40.49
-43.02%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$6.65 MUR 313
-37.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿590
$8.33 MUR 392
110.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.4
$1.63 MUR 77.0
-1.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿93.8
$2.39 MUR 113
16.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Fond du Sac
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.27
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,823
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.00
$4.30 MUR 202
-73.02%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.78
$3.14 MUR 148
-83.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.6
$20.98 MUR 989
-88.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.82
$1.41 MUR 66.3
2.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿709.7K
$36.5K MUR 1.7M
-42.29%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿907.9K
$30.7K MUR 1.4M
-12.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Fond du Sac
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,095
$45.19 MUR 2,130
37.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿410
$8.52 MUR 401
42.84%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿678
$21.40 MUR 1,008
-5.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Fond du Sac
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,257
$16.87 MUR 795
121.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$6.48 MUR 305
0.15%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Fond du Sac
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.8K
$129 MUR 6,075
471.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿497.6K
$7,627 MUR 359.4K
93.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Fond du Sac
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,799
$78.0 MUR 3,676
-31.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿830
$75.0 MUR 3,534
-67.15%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,083
$122 MUR 5,742
-24.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,424
$76.9 MUR 3,624
-6.47%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Fond du Sac
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿33.9K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.3K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.6K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.6K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Fond du Sac
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
6.67
-16.49%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Fond du Sac: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Fond du Sac
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Fond du Sac
$218 6.9% $16
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Fond du Sac
$158 45.7% $50
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Fond du Sac
$75 20.5% $19
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Fond du Sac
$124 59.4% $46
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Fond du Sac
$20 * 67.4% $41
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Fond du Sac
$30 40.7% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $28 in Fond du Sac. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $218 in Fond du Sac – so Fond du Sac wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇲🇺 Fond du Sac
🕒 Local time
07:29 7:29 AM
04:29 4:29 AM
3 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
2,000
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 47.12 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.81 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Fond du Sac 6,250 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Fond du Sac

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 Fond du Sac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Fond du Sac?
Chiang Mai costs about 50% more than Fond du Sac, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Fond du Sac?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $937 in Fond du Sac. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do dining costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Fond du Sac?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $28 in Fond du Sac. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Fond du Sac?
Groceries cost about 7% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Chiang Mai or Fond du Sac?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Fond du Sac costs $625 versus $936 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Fond du Sac?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

Chiang Mai vs other spots: cost of living compared

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