Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ha Long Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Ha Long Bay: $759 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Ha Long Bay
Learn more

Ha Long Bay Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Ha Long Bay

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$759

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Ha Long Bay

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 Ha Long Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $759 in Ha Long Bay, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Ha Long Bay $759

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,224 in Ha Long Bay, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Ha Long Bay $1,224

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,688 in Ha Long Bay, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Ha Long Bay $1,688

Chiang Mai costs about 22% more than Ha Long Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Ha Long Bay are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Ha Long Bay 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿77.2

$2.06 ₫53.2K

11.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿663

$19.24 ₫497.1K

2.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿189

$4.35 ₫112.4K

28.97%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.60 ₫41.4K

3.75%

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

$0.70 ฿23.62

$0.38 ₫9,810

84.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.33

$0.35 ₫9,088

-11.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿81.2

$0.88 ₫22.7K

173.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿125

$1.33 ₫34.4K

178.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.9

$1.52 ₫39.3K

28.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.48

$1.12 ₫29.0K

25.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿44.04

$0.89 ₫23.1K

47.19%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿73.6

$1.13 ₫29.2K

92.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿562

$10.47 ₫270.6K

59.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿93.1

$3.80 ₫98.2K

-27.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿307

$10.88 ₫281.2K

-16.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.7

$2.94 ₫75.9K

-18.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.59

$0.94 ₫24.2K

9.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.9

$1.37 ₫35.3K

18.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.18 ₫30.4K

27.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.54

$0.98 ₫25.3K

31.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.38

$1.13 ₫29.2K

-1.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.31

$0.65 ₫16.8K

10.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.76

$0.51 ₫13.3K

3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿145

$1.37 ₫35.5K

214.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿605

$11.37 ₫293.8K

57.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿53.4

$0.87 ₫22.4K

81.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.65 ₫42.7K

72.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿29.14

$0.34 ₫8,888

152.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,798

$6.31 ₫163.2K

744.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.67

$0.71 ₫18.4K

70.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.17

$0.61 ₫15.7K

-6.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.71 ₫70.0K

-13.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿48.42

$1.02 ₫26.5K

41.18%

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

$20.7K ฿699.4K

$33.2K ₫858.7M

-37.62%

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

$26.8K ฿904.2K

$30.2K ₫779.2M

-11.12%

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

$62.3 ฿2,103

$71.9 ₫1.9M

-13.26%

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

$12.11 ฿409

$6.52 ₫168.4K

85.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿673

$8.58 ₫221.6K

132.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,251

$22.65 ₫585.3K

63.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿127

$6.89 ₫178.0K

-45.14%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿219

$3.11 ₫80.3K

109.00%

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

$793 ฿26.7K

$191 ₫4.9M

314.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿499.6K

$14.2K ₫367.5M

4.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,813

$48.88 ₫1.3M

9.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿831

$26.10 ₫674.5K

-5.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,065

$78.7 ₫2.0M

15.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,400

$85.3 ₫2.2M

-16.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.4K

$386 ₫10.0M

18.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿10.0K

$272 ₫7.0M

9.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.6K

$881 ₫22.8M

3.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.7K

$612 ₫15.8M

-9.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿65.1K

$2,009 ₫51.9M

-3.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.7K

$1,215 ₫31.4M

18.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.28

-32.73%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Ha Long Bay: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Ha Long Bay

$272 35.8% 8.8% $26

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Ha Long Bay

$194 25.5% 17.8% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Ha Long Bay

$108 14.2% 0.6% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Ha Long Bay

$87 11.5% 7.9% $7.4

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Ha Long Bay

$59 7.7% 25.3% $20

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ha Long Bay

$11 1.5% 81.2% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ha Long Bay

$29 3.8% 42.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $386 in Ha Long Bay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Chiang Mai versus $19 in Ha Long Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $194 – making Ha Long Bay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇻🇳 Ha Long Bay

🕒 Local time

01:00 1:00 AM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

270,054

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.8 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 25,840 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,952 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Ha Long Bay 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ha Long Bay

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 Ha Long Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 22% more than Ha Long Bay, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,138 in Ha Long Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ha Long Bay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $386 there versus $455 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $191 in Ha Long Bay. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

Families tend to lean toward Ha Long Bay – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

For expats, Ha Long Bay is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 22% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.