Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Green Island

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,009 in Green Island, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. The total is higher in Green Island 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 Green Island
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Green Island Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Green Island

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Green Island

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,009 in Green Island, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Green Island $1,009

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,670 in Green Island, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Green Island $1,670

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,332 in Green Island, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Green Island $2,332

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$13.69 JMD 2,159

-83.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$76.0 JMD 12.0K

-75.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$8.07 JMD 1,273

-31.23%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$5.33 JMD 840

-68.67%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.20 JMD 190

-46.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.74 JMD 117

-58.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.17 JMD 342

8.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.06 JMD 482

19.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$4.10 JMD 646

-52.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$3.70 JMD 584

-61.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.62 JMD 255

-17.90%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.47 JMD 547

-34.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$11.45 JMD 1,806

43.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$6.34 JMD 1,000

-56.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.40 JMD 1,640

-10.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$6.09 JMD 960

-61.41%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$3.92 JMD 618

-75.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$7.21 JMD 1,137

-77.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.12 JMD 492

-51.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$3.17 JMD 500

-59.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$2.70 JMD 426

-59.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$3.10 JMD 489

-77.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.51 JMD 238

-67.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$9.22 JMD 1,454

-55.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$11.28 JMD 1,779

55.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.80 JMD 441

-42.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.09 JMD 644

-32.03%

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

$1.24 JMD 196

-6.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$3.12 JMD 492

-83.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.16 JMD 971

-60.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.47 JMD 232

-1.36%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$43.5K JMD 6.9M

-51.56%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$33.4K JMD 5.3M

-19.22%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$170 JMD 26.7K

-63.32%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$29.28 JMD 4,618

-58.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$53.1 JMD 8,368

-62.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$13.48 JMD 2,126

-51.85%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$355 JMD 55.9K

107.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$8,242 JMD 1.3M

79.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$24.02 JMD 3,788

122.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$31.52 JMD 4,970

-21.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

16.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$103 JMD 16.2K

-29.86%

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 Green Island: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Green Island

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Green Island

$384 38.1% 63.9% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Green Island

$107 10.6% 1.9% $2.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Green Island

$252 25% 167% $157

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Green Island

$222 22.1% 187% $145

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Green Island

$17 * 1.7% 72.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Green Island

$27 * 2.7% 46.4% $23

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 $76 in Green Island. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $384 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇲 Green Island

🕒 Local time

20:20 8:20 PM

08:20 8:20 AM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,546

💱 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 Green Island 15,870 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Green Island

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 Green Island: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Green Island costs about 8% 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 $1,513 in Green Island. 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 $76 in Green Island. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 64% more in Green Island, 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 $1,009 in Green Island. 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 $1,009 in Green Island. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.