Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Freeport

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,659 in Freeport, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
129

Cost of Living Index in Freeport
Learn more

Freeport Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Freeport

🇧🇸 Bahamas

$2,659

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Freeport

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,659 in Freeport, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Freeport $2,659

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,307 in Freeport, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Freeport $4,307

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,955 in Freeport, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Freeport $5,955

Chiang Mai is about 65% cheaper than Freeport, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Freeport is 95% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$47.77 BSD 47.77

-95.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$98.9 BSD 98.9

-80.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$12.68 BSD 12.68

-56.23%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$6.54 BSD 6.54

-74.46%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$3.10 BSD 3.10

-79.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$2.80 BSD 2.80

-88.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$4.63 BSD 4.63

-49.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$6.95 BSD 6.95

-47.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.36 BSD 2.36

-17.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$5.52 BSD 5.52

-73.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$8.46 BSD 8.46

-84.28%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$8.86 BSD 8.86

-74.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$16.51 BSD 16.51

-0.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$6.86 BSD 6.86

-59.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$13.91 BSD 13.91

-33.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$10.31 BSD 10.31

-77.21%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$4.08 BSD 4.08

-76.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$10.23 BSD 10.23

-84.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$12.85 BSD 12.85

-88.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$4.62 BSD 4.62

-72.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$2.53 BSD 2.53

-56.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$4.28 BSD 4.28

-83.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$3.32 BSD 3.32

-85.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$15.23 BSD 15.23

-72.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$20.33 BSD 20.33

-13.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.58 BSD 4.58

-39.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$1.77 BSD 1.77

-50.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$2.93 BSD 2.93

-60.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$2.92 BSD 2.92

-81.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$101 BSD 101

-97.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.60 BSD 1.60

-9.38%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$37.2K BSD 37.2K

-43.40%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$34.9K BSD 34.9K

-22.87%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$270 BSD 270

-76.95%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$64.0 BSD 64.0

-80.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$66.2 BSD 66.2

-69.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$55.4 BSD 55.4

-32.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$56.1 BSD 56.1

-93.28%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$17.90 BSD 17.90

-63.74%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$587 BSD 587

25.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$8,599 BSD 8,599

71.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$49.43 BSD 49.43

7.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$92.0 BSD 92.0

-0.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$69.7 BSD 69.7

3.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$985 BSD 985

-51.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$908 BSD 908

-65.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$2,202 BSD 2,202

-54.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,971 BSD 1,971

-67.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$4,206 BSD 4,206

-43.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$3,354 BSD 3,354

-52.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,543 BSD 1,543

-61.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

12.72

-56.21%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Freeport: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Freeport

$908 34.2% 194% $599

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Freeport

$580 * 21.8% 148% $346

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Freeport

$95 * 3.6% 12.5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Freeport

$400 15% 323% $305

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Freeport

$559 21% 621% $482

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Freeport

$25 * 0.9% 59.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Freeport

$91 3.4% 81.3% $41

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 $985 in Freeport. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Freeport are about 2.6 times higher, 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 $99 in Freeport. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $580 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇸 Freeport

🕒 Local time

16:00 4:00 PM

04:00 4:00 AM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

45,945

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bahamian Dollar BSD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BSD = 1 USD

1 BSD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BSD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Bahamian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1 BSD (1 BSD = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 BSD (1 BSD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Freeport 14,970 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Freeport

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 Freeport: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Freeport costs about 184% 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 $3,988 in Freeport. 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 $985 in Freeport.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $99 in Freeport. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 148% more in Freeport, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,659 in Freeport. 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 $2,659 in Freeport. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Freeport makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.