Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Gordon Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,004 in Gordon Town, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. The total is higher in Gordon Town despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Gordon Town
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Gordon Town Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Gordon Town

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,004

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Gordon Town

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,004 in Gordon Town, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Gordon Town $1,004

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,663 in Gordon Town, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Gordon Town $1,663

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,323 in Gordon Town, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Gordon Town $2,323

Chiang Mai is about 7% cheaper than Gordon Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$13.56 JMD 2,138

-83.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$75.1 JMD 11.8K

-74.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$8.04 JMD 1,268

-30.97%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$5.25 JMD 827

-68.19%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.15 JMD 181

-44.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.75 JMD 119

-58.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.25 JMD 355

4.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.11 JMD 490

17.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$4.23 JMD 667

-53.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$3.85 JMD 607

-62.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.63 JMD 257

-18.40%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.51 JMD 554

-35.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$11.23 JMD 1,770

46.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$6.45 JMD 1,018

-56.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.39 JMD 1,638

-10.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$5.94 JMD 936

-60.44%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$3.92 JMD 618

-75.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$7.29 JMD 1,149

-78.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.09 JMD 488

-51.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$3.16 JMD 499

-59.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$2.67 JMD 421

-58.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$3.14 JMD 496

-77.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.43 JMD 226

-65.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$9.35 JMD 1,475

-55.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$11.37 JMD 1,792

54.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.84 JMD 447

-43.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.88 JMD 611

-28.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.28 JMD 202

-9.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$3.11 JMD 491

-82.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.48 JMD 1,022

-62.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.47 JMD 231

-1.36%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$44.9K JMD 7.1M

-53.06%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$33.1K JMD 5.2M

-18.54%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$165 JMD 26.1K

-62.41%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$29.89 JMD 4,713

-59.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$53.6 JMD 8,451

-62.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$13.01 JMD 2,051

-50.12%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$365 JMD 57.6K

101.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$8,361 JMD 1.3M

76.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$23.25 JMD 3,666

129.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$32.04 JMD 5,052

-23.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$78.0 JMD 12.3K

17.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$103 JMD 16.3K

-30.30%

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 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.45

-41.06%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gordon Town: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Gordon Town

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Gordon Town

$386 38.4% 64.5% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Gordon Town

$106 10.6% 2.1% $2.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Gordon Town

$249 24.8% 164% $154

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Gordon Town

$221 22% 184% $143

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Gordon Town

$17 * 1.7% 72.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Gordon Town

$26 * 2.6% 48.3% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $75 in Gordon Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $386 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇲 Gordon Town

🕒 Local time

22:05 10:05 PM

10:05 10:05 AM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,088

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Gordon Town 15,890 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Gordon Town

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 Gordon Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gordon Town costs about 7% 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 $1,506 in Gordon Town. 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 $75 in Gordon Town. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 64% more in Gordon Town, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,004 in Gordon Town. 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 $1,004 in Gordon Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.