Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Fort Wellington

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,009 in Fort Wellington, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. The total is higher in Fort Wellington despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Fort Wellington
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Fort Wellington Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Fort Wellington

🇬🇾 Guyana

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Fort Wellington

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 Fort Wellington actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,009 in Fort Wellington, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Fort Wellington $1,009

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,698 in Fort Wellington, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Fort Wellington $1,698

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,386 in Fort Wellington, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Fort Wellington $2,386

Chiang Mai is about 7% cheaper than Fort Wellington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Fort Wellington are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Fort Wellington 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$17.65 GYD 3,683

-87.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$71.3 GYD 14.9K

-73.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.25 GYD 1,930

-40.00%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$5.95 GYD 1,241

-71.93%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.21 GYD 253

-47.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.60 GYD 126

-48.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.95 GYD 406

21.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$3.27 GYD 682

11.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$3.66 GYD 764

-46.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$2.06 GYD 430

-30.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.98 GYD 414

-32.83%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$3.90 GYD 813

-41.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$15.57 GYD 3,249

5.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$7.18 GYD 1,499

-61.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.96 GYD 1,869

3.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$7.86 GYD 1,640

-70.10%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$3.88 GYD 810

-75.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$3.89 GYD 813

-58.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$7.23 GYD 1,509

-79.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$2.43 GYD 508

-47.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$3.00 GYD 625

-63.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$3.12 GYD 652

-77.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$1.59 GYD 333

-69.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.28 GYD 685

26.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$16.99 GYD 3,546

3.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.85 GYD 387

-12.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.63 GYD 549

5.70%

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

$4.32 GYD 901

-73.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$2.38 GYD 496

-77.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$11.88 GYD 2,480

-79.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.06 GYD 222

36.79%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$27.6K GYD 5.8M

-23.59%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$23.0K GYD 4.8M

16.93%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$119 GYD 24.8K

-47.61%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$21.07 GYD 4,398

-42.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$43.77 GYD 9,134

-54.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.85 GYD 1,430

-5.26%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$1,031 GYD 215.2K

-28.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$19.1K GYD 4.0M

-22.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$38.37 GYD 8,007

39.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$41.55 GYD 8,672

-40.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$133 GYD 27.8K

-31.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$84.4 GYD 17.6K

-14.77%

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

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$971 GYD 202.6K

-39.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.94

-19.74%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Fort Wellington: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Fort Wellington

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Fort Wellington

$398 39.4% 69.8% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Fort Wellington

$134 13.3% 23.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Fort Wellington

$184 18.2% 94.3% $89

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Fort Wellington

$264 26.1% 240% $186

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Fort Wellington

$16 * 1.6% 73.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Fort Wellington

$14 * 1.4% 72.8% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 65% higher in Fort Wellington. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $71 in Fort Wellington. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $398 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇬🇾 Fort Wellington

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

01:29 1:29 AM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

118

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Guyanese Dollar GYD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 GYD = 4.79 USD

1,000 GYD = 4.3 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GYD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Guyanese Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 209 GYD (1,000 GYD = 4.79 USD). 1 EUR = 232 GYD (1,000 GYD = 4.3 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Fort Wellington 16,220 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Fort Wellington

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 Fort Wellington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fort Wellington costs about 8% 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 $1,514 in Fort Wellington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $71 in Fort Wellington. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 70% more in Fort Wellington, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,009 in Fort Wellington. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,009 in Fort Wellington. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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