Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kampong Cham

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampong Cham: $528 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Kampong Cham
Learn more

Kampong Cham Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Kampong Cham

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$528

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Kampong Cham

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $528 in Kampong Cham, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Kampong Cham $528

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $827 in Kampong Cham, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Kampong Cham $827

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,126 in Kampong Cham, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Kampong Cham $1,126

Chiang Mai costs about 78% more than Kampong Cham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Kampong Cham are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Kampong Cham 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$2.55 ៛10.3K

-11.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$19.86 ៛80.7K

-3.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$7.85 ៛31.9K

-28.79%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.46 ៛5,924

17.81%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.48 ៛1,969

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.45 ៛1,834

-26.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$0.49 ៛1,970

381.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$1.52 ៛6,176

156.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$2.21 ៛8,987

-7.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.73 ៛7,035

-19.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$0.88 ៛3,586

45.45%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.71 ៛6,955

31.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$15.48 ៛62.9K

9.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$2.98 ៛12.1K

-8.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$10.22 ៛41.5K

-8.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$4.38 ៛17.8K

-45.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.22 ៛4,955

-17.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$3.74 ៛15.2K

-56.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.10 ៛4,469

38.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.29 ៛5,237

-0.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.11 ៛4,526

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.30 ៛5,300

-44.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.80 ៛3,248

-35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$1.36 ៛5,508

218.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$7.83 ៛31.8K

126.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.00 ៛4,043

63.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.21 ៛8,977

28.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.98 ៛8,038

-40.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.02 ៛4,158

-44.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$4.95 ៛20.1K

-52.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.30 ៛5,281

11.54%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$25.5K ៛103.5M

-19.64%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$22.1K ៛89.9M

19.85%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$103 ៛420.4K

-39.77%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$5.58 ៛22.7K

119.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$15.22 ៛61.8K

31.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$9.94 ៛40.4K

281.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$5.10 ៛20.7K

31.57%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$277 ៛1.1M

187.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$4,463 ៛18.1M

232.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$26.11 ៛106.1K

103.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$13.23 ៛53.7K

89.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$67.8 ៛275.4K

35.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$44.90 ៛182.4K

63.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.2

-39.46%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kampong Cham: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Kampong Cham

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Kampong Cham

$238 45% 0.2% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Kampong Cham

$68 13% 37.5% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Kampong Cham

$124 23.5% 31.4% $30

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Kampong Cham

$71 13.4% 10.6% $8.4

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Kampong Cham

$7.1 * 1.3% 88.4% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Kampong Cham

$20 3.8% 60.8% $31

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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $20.00 in Kampong Cham. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇭 Kampong Cham

🕒 Local time

16:24 4:24 PM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

118,242

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4,062 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD). 1 EUR = 4,567 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Kampong Cham 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kampong Cham

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 Kampong Cham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 78% more than Kampong Cham, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $792 in Kampong Cham. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $20.00 in Kampong Cham. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 0% 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.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kampong Cham, where all-in costs run around $528, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Kampong Cham it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kampong Cham costs $528 versus $938 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.