Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kampong Cham Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kampong Cham

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $861 per month in Chiang Mai vs $584 in Kampong Cham, rent included.

A couple spends around $1,350 per month in Chiang Mai vs $958 in Kampong Cham, rent included.

A family of three spends $1,838 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,331 in Kampong Cham, rent included.

Chiang Mai costs about 47% more than Kampong Cham, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Both Chiang Mai and Kampong Cham are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 36% lower, Kampong Cham 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.96 ฿65.9

$2.57 ៛10.4K

-23.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.35 ฿617

$23.97 ៛96.6K

-23.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 ฿252

$8.15 ៛32.8K

-8.22%

Cappuccino

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.67 ៛6,735

20.96%

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

$0.85 ฿28.52

$0.68 ៛2,747

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ฿11.97

$0.51 ៛2,073

-29.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 ฿71.9

$0.98 ៛3,944

118.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ฿121

$1.85 ៛7,448

94.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ฿55.5

$1.76 ៛7,079

-6.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 ฿52.7

$1.38 ៛5,569

13.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 ฿40.05

$0.73 ៛2,929

63.01%

Eggs

$1.94 ฿65.1

$1.62 ៛6,533

19.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.19 ฿545

$14.91 ៛60.1K

8.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.99 ฿101

$3.55 ៛14.3K

-15.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.94 ฿368

$9.03 ៛36.4K

21.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 ฿91.2

$2.06 ៛8,295

31.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 ฿39.27

$0.77 ៛3,101

51.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$3.01 ៛12.1K

-43.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 ฿54.0

$0.97 ៛3,925

64.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.28 ៛5,159

7.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ฿40.47

$0.91 ៛3,666

31.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ฿22.51

$1.30 ៛5,254

-48.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ฿18.74

$0.58 ៛2,355

-3.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.64 ฿156

$1.27 ៛5,101

265.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.62 ฿593

$7.59 ៛30.6K

132.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.6

$0.57 ៛2,288

226.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.04 ៛8,243

61.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ฿29.70

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.34 ฿651

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ฿45.92

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 ฿45.00

$0.77 ៛3,112

74.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.21 ฿276

$4.94 ៛19.9K

66.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ฿41.20

$1.08 ៛4,363

12.96%

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

$21.4K ฿718.5K

$34.8K ៛140.3M

-38.62%

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

$22.5K ฿758.1K

$39.9K ៛160.9M

-43.56%

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

$70.7 ฿2,378

$74.5 ៛300.4K

-5.13%

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

$14.04 ฿472

$5.85 ៛23.6K

140.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.49 ฿589

$19.69 ៛79.4K

-11.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.15 ฿1,418

$9.85 ៛39.7K

327.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.88 ฿231

Cinema Ticket

$5.92 ฿199

$6.41 ៛25.8K

-7.64%

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

$309 ฿10.4K

$396 ៛1.6M

-22.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K ฿500.7K

$2,497 ៛10.1M

495.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 ฿1,876

$10.08 ៛40.6K

453.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.11 ฿879

$18.11 ៛73.0K

44.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.0 ฿2,793

$55.4 ៛223.3K

49.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.5 ฿2,371

$36.80 ៛148.4K

91.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$432 ฿14.5K

$397 ៛1.6M

8.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$239 ฿8,040

$127 ៛511.8K

88.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ฿27.7K

$539 ៛2.2M

52.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$512 ฿17.2K

$299 ៛1.2M

71.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,915 ฿64.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,467 ฿49.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$579 ฿19.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

-72.22%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: July 12, 2026

Last update for Kampong Cham: July 11, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $432 in Chiang Mai versus $397 in Kampong Cham. 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 $18.00 in Chiang Mai versus $24.00 in Kampong Cham. Groceries tell a different story – $243 in Chiang Mai vs $202 in Kampong Cham – so Kampong Cham wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

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 Kampong Cham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 47% more than Kampong Cham, with the gap driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,292 per month in Chiang Mai and $876 in Kampong Cham. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kampong Cham, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18.00 in Chiang Mai and $24.00 in Kampong Cham. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $861 in Chiang Mai and $584 in Kampong Cham, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kampong Cham costs $584 versus $861 in Chiang Mai. 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 Kampong Cham. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.