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 $947 per month in Chiang Mai vs $530 in Kampong Cham, rent included.

A couple spends around $1,411 per month in Chiang Mai vs $815 in Kampong Cham, rent included.

A family of three spends $1,874 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,100 in Kampong Cham, rent included.

Chiang Mai costs about 79% more than Kampong Cham, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both Chiang Mai and Kampong Cham are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kampong Cham 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.08 ฿69.2

$2.57 ៛10.4K

-19.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿651

$19.61 ៛79.2K

0.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.65 ฿188

$8.07 ៛32.6K

-29.99%

Cappuccino

$1.81 ฿59.9

$1.47 ៛5,934

23.13%

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

$0.71 ฿23.66

$0.51 ៛2,069

39.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ฿10.48

$0.46 ៛1,861

-30.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 ฿74.2

$0.49 ៛1,964

357.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿121

$1.53 ៛6,176

137.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 ฿65.0

$2.21 ៛8,933

-11.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ฿49.83

$1.70 ៛6,862

-11.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 ฿44.32

$1.03 ៛4,159

30.10%

Eggs

$2.26 ฿75.1

$1.67 ៛6,762

35.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.26 ฿539

$13.73 ៛55.5K

18.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.0

$2.67 ៛10.8K

10.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.94 ฿330

$9.84 ៛39.8K

1.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 ฿85.3

$4.36 ៛17.6K

-41.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 ฿35.04

$1.23 ៛4,971

-13.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.5

$3.71 ៛15.0K

-56.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.4

$1.09 ៛4,424

39.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 ฿42.14

$1.32 ៛5,325

-3.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 ฿35.37

$1.07 ៛4,323

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿23.89

$1.30 ៛5,247

-44.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.87

$0.80 ៛3,249

-36.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.19 ฿139

$1.47 ៛5,957

185.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.87 ฿593

$7.55 ៛30.5K

136.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ฿56.2

$1.00 ៛4,032

69.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿94.1

$2.22 ៛8,984

27.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿30.70

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,787

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 ฿40.95

$1.94 ៛7,841

-36.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 ฿19.13

$0.97 ៛3,922

-40.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿80.4

$5.09 ៛20.6K

-52.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ฿46.84

$1.31 ៛5,275

7.63%

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

$21.4K ฿711.3K

$25.5K ៛102.9M

-15.77%

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

$27.3K ฿906.7K

$22.4K ៛90.4M

22.25%

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

$63.7 ฿2,112

$105 ៛426.1K

-39.62%

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

$12.85 ฿426

$5.91 ៛23.9K

117.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.22 ฿671

$14.49 ៛58.6K

39.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.74 ฿1,285

$9.91 ៛40.1K

290.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.97 ฿132

Cinema Ticket

$6.74 ฿223

$5.14 ៛20.8K

31.13%

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

$778 ฿25.8K

$276 ៛1.1M

181.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K ฿484.6K

$4,498 ៛18.2M

224.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 ฿1,801

$25.85 ៛104.4K

110.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.45 ฿844

$13.57 ៛54.8K

87.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,129

$69.1 ៛279.1K

36.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.4 ฿2,436

$45.41 ៛183.5K

61.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$490 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$289 ฿9,596

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$894 ฿29.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$517 ฿17.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,955 ฿64.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,477 ฿49.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$602 ฿20.0K

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: August 31, 2026

Last update for Kampong Cham: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $20.00 in Kampong Cham. Groceries tell a different story – $240 in Chiang Mai vs $229 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 79% more than Kampong Cham, with the gap driven mainly by Getting Around. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,421 per month in Chiang Mai and $794 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 $20.00 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 5% 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 $530, than in Chiang Mai at $947. 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 $530 versus $947 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.