Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and the Isle of Islay

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,352 on the Isle of Islay, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 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
113

Cost of Living Index on the Isle of Islay
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Isle of Islay Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Isle of Islay

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,352

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and on the Isle of Islay

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 on the Isle of Islay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,352 on the Isle of Islay, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Isle of Islay $2,352

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,353 on the Isle of Islay, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Isle of Islay $3,353

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,354 on the Isle of Islay, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Isle of Islay $4,354

Chiang Mai is about 61% cheaper than the Isle of Islay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 32% below the global median, while Isle of Islay is 74% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$21.60 £16.21

-89.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$81.4 £61.1

-75.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$10.60 £7.95

-47.08%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$4.48 £3.36

-62.95%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$2.48 £1.86

-71.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$1.32 £0.99

-76.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$5.83 £4.37

-58.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$6.01 £4.51

-38.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$2.03 £1.52

-3.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.75 £1.32

-19.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$2.74 £2.06

-52.19%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$5.41 £4.06

-59.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$7.39 £5.54

125.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$9.52 £7.14

-71.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$15.36 £11.53

-40.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.50 £1.88

-4.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$2.20 £1.65

-53.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.82 £2.12

-42.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$2.87 £2.15

-47.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$3.06 £2.29

-57.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$2.11 £1.58

-47.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.86 £1.40

-61.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$2.43 £1.82

-78.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$23.79 £17.85

-81.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$12.03 £9.03

49.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$3.26 £2.44

-51.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$3.22 £2.41

-11.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$3.50 £2.62

-75.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$98.1 £73.6

-45.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$4.75 £3.56

-74.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$3.79 £2.84

-84.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$26.58 £19.94

-91.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$2.07 £1.55

-30.43%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$38.5K £28.9K

-46.20%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$40.4K £30.3K

-33.70%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$238 £178

-73.78%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$13.09 £9.82

-7.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$42.21 £31.67

-52.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$43.82 £32.88

-15.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$13.44 £10.08

-51.64%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$1,918 £1,439

-58.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$24.8K £18.6K

-40.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$100 £75.1

-46.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$57.6 £43.19

-57.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$121 £90.9

-25.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$87.1 £65.4

-18.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$1,272 £955

-64.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$1,039 £779

-71.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$2,126 £1,595

-57.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$1,449 £1,087

-61.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$5,528 £4,147

-65.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$3,409 £2,558

-57.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.41

2.96%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for the Isle of Islay: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Isle of Islay

$1K 44.2% 249% $741

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Isle of Islay

$334 14.2% 42% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Isle of Islay

$165 7% 52.2% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Isle of Islay

$293 12.5% 210% $199

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Isle of Islay

$315 13.4% 301% $236

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Isle of Islay

$136 5.8% 123% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Isle of Islay

$71 3% 41.2% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $1,272 on the Isle of Islay. 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $81.0 on the Isle of Islay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $334 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇬🇧 Isle of Islay

🕒 Local time

23:27 11:27 PM

17:27 5:27 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

3,457

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Isle of Islay 9,200 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Isle of Islay

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 Isle of Islay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Isle of Islay costs about 154% 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $3,528 on the Isle of Islay. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,918 on the Isle of Islay. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more on the Isle of Islay, 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 $925, than on the Isle of Islay at $2,352. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while on the Isle of Islay it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,352 on the Isle of Islay. 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, Isle of Islay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.