Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Grand Bois

For one person, living is cheaper in Grand Bois: $623 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Grand Bois
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Grand Bois Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Grand Bois

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$623

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Grand Bois

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $623 in Grand Bois, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Grand Bois $623

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,045 in Grand Bois, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Grand Bois $1,045

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,466 in Grand Bois, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Grand Bois $1,466

Chiang Mai costs about 50% more than Grand Bois, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Grand Bois are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Grand Bois 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$5.69 MUR 265

-60.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$38.22 MUR 1,780

-50.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.44 MUR 347

-25.40%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.61 MUR 121

-36.02%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.14 MUR 53.0

-43.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.63 MUR 29.36

-50.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.70 MUR 126

-12.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.70 MUR 219

-22.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.60 MUR 74.6

21.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.75 MUR 34.84

92.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.12 MUR 52.2

18.75%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.68 MUR 125

-14.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$5.26 MUR 245

212.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.25 MUR 291

-55.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.19 MUR 521

-16.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.86 MUR 133

-17.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$2.59 MUR 121

-62.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.44 MUR 67.0

11.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.90 MUR 135

-48.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.94 MUR 43.94

36.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.97 MUR 45.00

13.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.75 MUR 34.99

-5.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.87 MUR 40.47

-43.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.42 MUR 299

-35.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$8.56 MUR 399

104.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.70 MUR 79.3

-5.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.30 MUR 107

20.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$4.22 MUR 197

-72.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$3.13 MUR 146

-83.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$21.17 MUR 986

-88.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.41 MUR 65.6

2.84%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$36.3K MUR 1.7M

-41.93%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$31.8K MUR 1.5M

-15.15%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$45.63 MUR 2,125

36.25%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$10.76 MUR 501

13.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$28.92 MUR 1,347

-30.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.32 MUR 294

2.69%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$129 MUR 6,028

468.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$7,602 MUR 354.1K

94.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$77.6 MUR 3,613

-31.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$74.9 MUR 3,487

-67.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$122 MUR 5,666

-24.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$78.5 MUR 3,656

-8.33%

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 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.67

-16.49%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Grand Bois: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Grand Bois

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Grand Bois

$218 34.9% 7.1% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Grand Bois

$159 25.5% 46% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Grand Bois

$85 13.7% 9.7% $9.2

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Grand Bois

$129 20.7% 66.4% $52

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Grand Bois

$20 * 3.2% 67.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Grand Bois

$13 * 2% 74.9% $38

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 $38 in Grand Bois. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $218 in Grand Bois – so Grand Bois wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇺 Grand Bois

🕒 Local time

03:33 3:33 AM

00:33 12:33 AM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

7,804

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MUR = 2.15 USD

100 MUR = 1.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 46.58 MUR (100 MUR = 2.15 USD). 1 EUR = 52.21 MUR (100 MUR = 1.92 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Grand Bois 6,280 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Grand Bois

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 Grand Bois: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 50% more than Grand Bois, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $935 in Grand Bois. 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 $38 in Grand Bois. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $623 in Grand Bois to $936 in Chiang Mai. 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.