Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Jolly Harbour

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,275 in Jolly Harbour, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Jolly Harbour

🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda

$1,275

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Jolly Harbour

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,275 in Jolly Harbour, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Jolly Harbour $1,275

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,886 in Jolly Harbour, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Jolly Harbour $1,886

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,497 in Jolly Harbour, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Jolly Harbour $2,497

Chiang Mai is about 27% cheaper than Jolly Harbour, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Jolly Harbour are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Jolly Harbour 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.9

$9.17 EC$24.75

-76.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$73.5 EC$198

-74.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$7.22 EC$19.49

-22.44%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.0

$5.62 EC$15.17

-70.46%

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

$0.65 ฿21.80

$2.27 EC$6.14

-71.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.28

$1.14 EC$3.07

-73.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$5.69 EC$15.37

-59.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$4.54 EC$12.26

-19.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.9

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.45

$2.92 EC$7.89

-51.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.90

$5.62 EC$15.18

-75.27%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.8

$8.06 EC$21.77

-70.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$5.46 EC$14.73

202.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.0

$6.37 EC$17.21

-58.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$16.70 EC$45.10

-45.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.8

$5.39 EC$14.56

-55.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.09

$1.83 EC$4.94

-43.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.95 EC$7.96

-43.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.5

$5.41 EC$14.61

-71.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.71

$5.57 EC$15.03

-77.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.62

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.67

$6.35 EC$17.14

-88.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.33

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿604

$12.79 EC$34.54

40.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.7

$1.32 EC$3.58

22.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.1

$1.87 EC$5.04

50.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.49

$1.80 EC$4.86

-48.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,782

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.65

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$5.63 EC$15.19

-96.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.63

$0.73 EC$1.97

101.37%

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

$21.0K ฿708.1K

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

$26.5K ฿893.6K

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

$62.6 ฿2,108

$515 EC$1,390

-87.85%

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

$11.60 ฿391

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿684

$67.3 EC$182

-69.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,277

$73.1 EC$197

-48.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$56.0 EC$151

-93.40%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$16.58 EC$44.76

-60.74%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿558.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,804

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,046

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,425

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-7.17%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Jolly Harbour: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Jolly Harbour

–

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Jolly Harbour

–

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Jolly Harbour

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Jolly Harbour

–

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Jolly Harbour

–

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Jolly Harbour

–

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Jolly Harbour

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $73 in Jolly Harbour. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $339 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇦🇬 Jolly Harbour

🕒 Local time

18:31 6:31 PM

07:31 7:31 AM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.331 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.02 XCD (1 XCD = 0.331 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Jolly Harbour 15,510 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Jolly Harbour

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 Jolly Harbour: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jolly Harbour costs about 36% 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,912 in Jolly Harbour. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,275 in Jolly Harbour. That makes Chiang Mai about 27% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Jolly Harbour, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,275 in Jolly Harbour. 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,275 in Jolly Harbour. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.