Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Gizo

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,169 in Gizo, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
104

Cost of Living Index in Gizo
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Gizo Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Gizo

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$2,169

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,169 in Gizo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Gizo $2,169

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,078 in Gizo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Gizo $3,078

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,987 in Gizo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Gizo $3,987

Chiang Mai is about 57% cheaper than Gizo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Gizo is 59% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.16 SBD 25.48

-29.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$55.9 SBD 451

-66.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$15.52 SBD 125

-64.24%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.75 SBD 22.12

-39.27%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.27 SBD 10.26

-49.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.22 SBD 9.81

-74.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.43 SBD 19.58

-2.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.46 SBD 19.83

48.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$3.21 SBD 25.83

-39.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.40 SBD 11.25

2.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.45 SBD 11.68

-8.28%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$7.03 SBD 56.6

-67.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.92 SBD 71.9

84.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$6.27 SBD 50.5

-55.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.54 SBD 68.8

9.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$6.68 SBD 53.8

-64.82%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$6.09 SBD 49.07

-84.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$6.08 SBD 48.95

-73.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.14 SBD 25.29

-52.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$3.06 SBD 24.64

-58.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$2.43 SBD 19.59

-54.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.53 SBD 20.38

-71.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.38 SBD 11.08

-64.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.24 SBD 34.14

-2.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$12.30 SBD 99.1

42.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.83 SBD 14.77

-12.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.25 SBD 18.10

23.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.39 SBD 3.11

123.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$30.48 SBD 246

77.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$1.26 SBD 10.15

-7.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$2.55 SBD 20.52

-79.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$12.61 SBD 102

-80.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.76 SBD 14.19

-17.61%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$20.8K SBD 167.7K

1.14%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$21.8K SBD 175.5K

23.69%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$749 SBD 6,033

-91.70%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$13.86 SBD 112

-12.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$125 SBD 1,011

-83.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$18.34 SBD 148

103.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.30 SBD 50.7

-40.16%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.36 SBD 35.10

48.85%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$125 SBD 1,010

487.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$1,246 SBD 10.0K

1084.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$25.56 SBD 206

108.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$94.2 SBD 759

-73.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$101 SBD 814

-9.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$87.8 SBD 707

-18.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$593 SBD 4,776

-18.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$584 SBD 4,708

-47.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$623 SBD 5,015

61.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,261 SBD 10.2K

-49.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$85.7K SBD 690.0K

-97.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$401 SBD 3,234

46.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

16.33

-65.89%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gizo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Gizo

$584 26.9% 89.2% $276

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Gizo

$353 16.3% 50.4% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Gizo

$139 6.4% 27.8% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Gizo

$888 41% 840% $794

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Gizo

$132 6.1% 70% $54

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Gizo

$46 2.1% 25% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Gizo

$27 1.3% 46.2% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $593 in Gizo. 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 47% 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 in Chiang Mai versus $56 in Gizo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $353 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇧 Gizo

🕒 Local time

16:58 4:58 PM

20:58 8:58 PM

4 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

7,177

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.111 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SBD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 8.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 8.99 SBD (1 SBD = 0.111 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Gizo 7,000 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Gizo

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 Gizo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gizo costs about 132% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $3,254 in Gizo. 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 $593 in Gizo.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $125 in Gizo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% more in Gizo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,169 in Gizo. 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 $2,169 in Gizo. 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.