Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Georgetown

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,643 in Georgetown, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Georgetown
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Georgetown Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Georgetown

🇬🇾 Guyana

$1,643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,643 in Georgetown, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Georgetown $1,643

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,771 in Georgetown, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Georgetown $2,771

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,899 in Georgetown, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Georgetown $3,899

Chiang Mai is about 43% cheaper than Georgetown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 30% below the global median, while Georgetown is 22% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$18.26 GYD 3,797

-87.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$71.3 GYD 14.8K

-73.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$9.19 GYD 1,911

-39.17%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$5.71 GYD 1,188

-69.88%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.21 GYD 252

-47.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.61 GYD 126

-45.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.95 GYD 406

21.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.27 GYD 680

19.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$3.56 GYD 741

-42.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$2.08 GYD 432

-32.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$2.07 GYD 430

-38.16%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$3.94 GYD 819

-42.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$15.16 GYD 3,152

11.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$7.01 GYD 1,458

-60.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$8.91 GYD 1,853

5.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$8.17 GYD 1,699

-70.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$4.04 GYD 840

-75.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$4.06 GYD 844

-60.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$7.15 GYD 1,487

-78.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$2.45 GYD 508

-47.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$3.08 GYD 639

-63.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$3.14 GYD 653

-77.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.60 GYD 332

-67.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$3.43 GYD 713

26.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$16.72 GYD 3,476

6.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.83 GYD 380

-10.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.54 GYD 529

12.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.58 GYD 121

46.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$61.5 GYD 12.8K

-12.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$4.27 GYD 888

-72.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$2.33 GYD 485

-75.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$11.90 GYD 2,473

-80.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.07 GYD 223

35.51%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$27.1K GYD 5.6M

-24.43%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$22.5K GYD 4.7M

17.72%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$120 GYD 24.9K

-47.98%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$21.78 GYD 4,527

-43.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$44.50 GYD 9,251

-55.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$37.71 GYD 7,840

0.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$15.08 GYD 3,135

-75.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$6.04 GYD 1,256

11.09%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$1,009 GYD 209.9K

-21.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$18.8K GYD 3.9M

-21.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$37.95 GYD 7,889

40.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$41.02 GYD 8,528

-38.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$133 GYD 27.7K

-31.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$85.8 GYD 17.8K

-14.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$958 GYD 199.1K

-51.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$530 GYD 110.1K

-42.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$3,344 GYD 695.3K

-72.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$1,288 GYD 267.7K

-57.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$3,596 GYD 747.6K

-46.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$1,560 GYD 324.2K

-7.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$520 GYD 108.2K

14.37%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Georgetown: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Georgetown

$530 32.2% 73.8% $225

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Georgetown

$398 24.2% 67.1% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Georgetown

$134 8.2% 22.4% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Georgetown

$186 11.3% 96.8% $92

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Georgetown

$266 16.2% 236% $187

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Georgetown

$80 4.9% 30% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Georgetown

$50 3% 3% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $958 in Georgetown. 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 14% higher in Chiang Mai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $71.0 in Georgetown. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $398 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇬🇾 Georgetown

🕒 Local time

07:16 7:16 AM

20:16 8:16 PM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

310,320 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Guyanese Dollar GYD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 GYD = 4.81 USD

1,000 GYD = 4.28 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Guyanese Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 208 GYD (1,000 GYD = 4.81 USD). 1 EUR = 234 GYD (1,000 GYD = 4.28 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Georgetown 16,220 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Georgetown

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 Georgetown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Georgetown costs about 75% 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,464 in Georgetown. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,009 in Georgetown. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 67% more in Georgetown, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Georgetown at $1,643. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Georgetown it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,643 in Georgetown. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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