Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,188 in Kaka, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 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
105

Cost of Living Index in Kaka
Learn more

Kaka Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Kaka

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$2,188

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,188 in Kaka, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Kaka $2,188

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,298 in Kaka, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Kaka $3,298

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,409 in Kaka, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Kaka $4,409

Chiang Mai is about 57% cheaper than Kaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Kaka is 61% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$31.16 TMT 104

-92.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$84.8 TMT 284

-77.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$12.93 TMT 43.31

-57.08%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$6.93 TMT 23.23

-75.90%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.54 TMT 5.16

-58.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.89 TMT 3.00

-65.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$5.85 TMT 19.60

-59.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$13.73 TMT 46.01

-73.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$4.38 TMT 14.68

-55.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$2.08 TMT 6.97

-30.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$5.71 TMT 19.11

-76.71%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$6.07 TMT 20.35

-62.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$37.74 TMT 126

-56.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$19.89 TMT 66.6

-86.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$22.74 TMT 76.2

-59.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$5.04 TMT 16.89

-53.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$8.51 TMT 28.50

-88.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$7.53 TMT 25.23

-78.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.72 TMT 12.45

-59.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$2.35 TMT 7.86

-45.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.40 TMT 4.67

-21.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.65 TMT 8.86

-73.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.12 TMT 3.77

-56.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$26.17 TMT 87.7

-84.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$41.83 TMT 140

-58.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$5.17 TMT 17.30

-68.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.93 TMT 9.80

-5.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$2.83 TMT 9.49

-59.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.82 TMT 2.74

-35.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$8.41 TMT 28.17

-71.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$0.42 TMT 1.40

245.24%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$44.7K TMT 149.8K

-52.91%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$57.2K TMT 191.5K

-52.87%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$570 TMT 1,910

-89.10%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$57.7 TMT 193

-78.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$105 TMT 351

-80.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.44 TMT 28.29

-23.10%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$22.91 TMT 76.8

3113.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$25.1K TMT 84.0K

-41.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$56.5 TMT 189

-5.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$114 TMT 381

-78.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$362 TMT 1,211

-74.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$195 TMT 653

-63.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.5

-41.37%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kaka: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Kaka

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Kaka

$667 30.5% 185% $432

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Kaka

$327 14.9% 201% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kaka

$733 33.5% 676% $638

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Kaka

$438 20% 464% $360

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kaka

$6.9 * 0.3% 88.7% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kaka

$17 * 0.8% 66.4% $33

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 in Chiang Mai versus $85 in Kaka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $667 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇲 Kaka

🕒 Local time

10:23 10:23 AM

08:23 8:23 AM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

33,315

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 TMT = 0.299 USD

1 TMT = 0.267 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TMT, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Turkmenistani Manat exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.35 TMT (1 TMT = 0.299 USD). 1 EUR = 3.74 TMT (1 TMT = 0.267 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Kaka 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kaka

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 Kaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaka costs about 134% 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 $3,282 in Kaka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $85 in Kaka. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 185% more in Kaka, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,188 in Kaka. 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 $2,188 in Kaka. 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.