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

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 39.6% cheaper than Forbes without rent, and 61% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 50.4% cheaper than Forbes without rent, and 56.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Forbes
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.02 ฿65.3
$16.4 A$25.12
-87.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.78 ฿608
$78.3 A$120
-76.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.67 ฿248
$9.94 A$15.23
-22.84%
Cappuccino
$1.98 ฿64.2
$3.49 A$5.35
-43.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 ฿26.64
$2.53 A$3.88
-67.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ฿10.58
$2.2 A$3.37
-85.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.12 ฿68.6
$6.62 A$10.14
-67.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.73 ฿121
$6.95 A$10.65
-46.33%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Forbes
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 ฿53.2
$1.42 A$2.18
15.49%
White Bread (500g)
$1.57 ฿50.9
$2.37 A$3.63
-33.76%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 ฿38.62
$2.01 A$3.08
-40.80%
Eggs
$1.98 ฿64.1
$4.26 A$6.52
-53.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.99 ฿517
$8.71 A$13.34
83.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.12 ฿101
$8.55 A$13.09
-63.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.16 ฿361
$13.72 A$21.03
-18.66%
Apples (1kg)
$2.76 ฿89.2
$3.34 A$5.11
-17.37%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 ฿39.5
$2.73 A$4.18
-55.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.71 ฿55.4
$2.98 A$4.56
-42.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.55 ฿50.2
$4.17 A$6.38
-62.83%
Potato (1kg)
$1.34 ฿43.21
$2.4 A$3.68
-44.17%
Onion (1kg)
$1.21 ฿39.23
$2.17 A$3.32
-44.24%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.72 ฿23.2
$2.17 A$3.33
-66.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 ฿17.05
$1.51 A$2.32
-64.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.72 ฿153
$30.39 A$46.56
-84.47%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.39 ฿595
$11.66 A$17.86
57.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 ฿57.9
$4.55 A$6.97
-60.66%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.21 ฿104
$5.45 A$8.35
-41.10%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Forbes
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.94 ฿30.44
$2.64 A$4.04
-64.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.9 ฿612
$64.9 A$99.4
-70.86%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.42 ฿46.08
$3.48 A$5.33
-59.20%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 ฿43.53
$1.56 A$2.39
-13.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.85 ฿254
$33.47 A$51.3
-76.55%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.25 ฿40.4
$1.19 A$1.83
5.04%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ฿684.9K
$29.4K A$45.1K
-28.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K ฿706.8K
$22.6K A$34.6K
-3.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Forbes
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$70.6 ฿2,285
$187 A$286
-62.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.72 ฿444
$27.19 A$41.65
-49.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.56 ฿568
$52.1 A$79.8
-66.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Forbes
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.64 ฿1,347
$48.43 A$74.2
-14.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.9 ฿223
$15.76 A$24.15
-56.22%
Cinema Ticket
$5.8 ฿188
$12.77 A$19.56
-54.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Forbes
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$308 ฿9,963
$1,637 A$2,509
-81.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.7K ฿475.8K
$12K A$18.4K
22.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Forbes
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.4 ฿1,793
$68 A$104
-18.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.4 ฿854
$51.4 A$78.8
-48.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.1 ฿2,755
$100 A$154
-15.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.8 ฿2,323
$108 A$165
-33.24%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Forbes
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$434 ฿14K
$1,273 A$1,950
-65.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$235 ฿7,610
$1,053 A$1,613
-77.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$821 ฿26.6K
$2,025 A$3,102
-59.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$498 ฿16.1K
$1,666 A$2,552
-70.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,180 ฿70.6K
$4,779 A$7,321
-54.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,543 ฿49.9K
$5,104 A$7,819
-69.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Forbes
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$703 ฿22.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
6.34
-21.14%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 29, 2025

Last update for Forbes: October 29, 2025

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