Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Hella

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,722 in Hella, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. The total is higher in Hella despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Hella
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Hella Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Hella

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,722 in Hella, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Hella $1,722

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,928 in Hella, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Hella $2,928

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,135 in Hella, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Hella $4,135

Chiang Mai is about 46% cheaper than Hella, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 30% below the global median, while Hella is 28% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$31.26 ISK 3,791

-92.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$123 ISK 14.9K

-84.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$27.14 ISK 3,291

-79.40%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$6.93 ISK 841

-75.18%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$3.36 ISK 407

-80.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$3.07 ISK 373

-89.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$13.71 ISK 1,663

-82.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$12.32 ISK 1,495

-68.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$2.04 ISK 247

0.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$4.26 ISK 516

-67.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$3.58 ISK 434

-64.25%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$6.99 ISK 848

-67.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$22.00 ISK 2,668

-23.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$24.51 ISK 2,973

-88.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$41.04 ISK 4,978

-77.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$3.35 ISK 406

-28.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$2.86 ISK 347

-64.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$3.13 ISK 379

-48.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$6.62 ISK 803

-77.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$3.81 ISK 463

-66.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.71 ISK 208

-35.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$3.78 ISK 458

-80.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.77 ISK 215

-70.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$13.79 ISK 1,672

-68.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$23.61 ISK 2,863

-24.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$3.71 ISK 449

-56.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$3.50 ISK 425

-18.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$6.61 ISK 802

-82.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$2.76 ISK 335

-79.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$81.2 ISK 9,844

-97.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$2.09 ISK 253

-30.62%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$51.2K ISK 6.2M

-60.04%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$54.1K ISK 6.6M

-51.01%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$95.2 ISK 11.5K

-34.51%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$33.16 ISK 4,022

-63.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$87.7 ISK 10.6K

-77.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$19.67 ISK 2,386

-65.89%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$1,198 ISK 145.2K

-33.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$25.7K ISK 3.1M

-42.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$147 ISK 17.8K

-63.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$67.0 ISK 8,130

-62.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$183 ISK 22.2K

-49.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$253 ISK 30.7K

-70.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.81

-36.78%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Hella: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Hella

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Hella

$620 36% 161% $382

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Hella

$292 17% 167% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Hella

$216 12.6% 128% $121

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Hella

$534 31% 575% $455

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Hella

$20 * 1.2% 66.7% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Hella

$39 * 2.3% 23.4% $12

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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $123 in Hella. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $620 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇸 Hella

🕒 Local time

12:01 12:01 PM

05:01 5:01 AM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

900

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Hella 9,470 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Hella

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 Hella: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hella costs about 84% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,583 in Hella. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $123 in Hella. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 161% more in Hella, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Hella at $1,722. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hella it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,722 in Hella. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hella makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.