Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Honiara

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,719 in Honiara, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
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Honiara Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,719

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,719 in Honiara, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Honiara $1,719

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,828 in Honiara, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Honiara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,936 in Honiara, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Honiara $3,936

Chiang Mai is about 46% cheaper than Honiara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Honiara is 26% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$6.79 SBD 54.7

-67.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$61.7 SBD 497

-69.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$12.30 SBD 99.1

-54.88%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.48 SBD 28.00

-52.01%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.56 SBD 12.58

-58.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.10 SBD 8.83

-71.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.53 SBD 20.40

-6.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$5.55 SBD 44.74

-34.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.52 SBD 20.34

-22.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.54 SBD 12.37

-6.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.59 SBD 12.78

-16.35%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$5.66 SBD 45.57

-59.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$6.42 SBD 51.7

156.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$8.36 SBD 67.4

-66.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$15.30 SBD 123

-39.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$6.21 SBD 50.0

-62.16%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$2.69 SBD 21.70

-63.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$8.72 SBD 70.2

-81.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.65 SBD 29.36

-58.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.95 SBD 15.70

-34.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$3.43 SBD 27.60

-67.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.44 SBD 11.57

-50.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.08 SBD 8.68

-54.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.03 SBD 32.47

2.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$10.41 SBD 83.8

68.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.72 SBD 13.84

-6.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.37 SBD 27.18

-17.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.35 SBD 2.85

148.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$25.21 SBD 203

114.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$1.22 SBD 9.79

-4.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.22 SBD 9.79

-56.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$12.28 SBD 99.0

-80.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.33 SBD 10.72

9.02%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$18.5K SBD 149.3K

13.63%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$34.2K SBD 275.3K

-21.17%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$437 SBD 3,517

-85.76%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$26.84 SBD 216

-54.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$88.8 SBD 715

-77.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$36.66 SBD 295

1.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$9.06 SBD 73.0

-58.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.29 SBD 34.58

51.28%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$98.9 SBD 796

644.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$2,868 SBD 23.1K

414.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$27.51 SBD 222

94.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$93.1 SBD 750

-73.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$99.0 SBD 798

-7.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$101 SBD 817

-29.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$890 SBD 7,169

-45.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$432 SBD 3,479

-28.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,812 SBD 14.6K

-44.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,409 SBD 11.3K

-55.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$85.8K SBD 691.2K

-97.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$62.0K SBD 499.2K

-97.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$437 SBD 3,519

34.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

15.67

-64.45%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Honiara: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Honiara

$432 25.1% 39.8% $123

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Honiara

$344 20% 46.9% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Honiara

$144 8.4% 33% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Honiara

$552 32.1% 485% $458

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Honiara

$167 9.7% 116% $90

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Honiara

$34 2% 44.7% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Honiara

$45 2.6% 10% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $890 in Honiara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 35% higher in Chiang Mai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $62 in Honiara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $344 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇧 Honiara

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

06:01 6:01 AM

4 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

54,600 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.111 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SBD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 8.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 8.99 SBD (1 SBD = 0.111 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Honiara 7,380 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Honiara

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 Honiara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Honiara costs about 84% 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 $2,579 in Honiara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $890 in Honiara.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $99 in Honiara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% more in Honiara, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,719 in Honiara. 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 $1,719 in Honiara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.