Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kampong Thom

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampong Thom: $627 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Kampong Thom
Learn more

Kampong Thom Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Kampong Thom

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$627

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $627 in Kampong Thom, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Kampong Thom $627

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,019 in Kampong Thom, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Kampong Thom $1,019

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,410 in Kampong Thom, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Kampong Thom $1,410

Chiang Mai costs about 49% more than Kampong Thom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Kampong Thom are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kampong Thom 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$4.44 ៛18.1K

-49.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$40.53 ៛165.4K

-53.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$6.84 ៛27.9K

-18.86%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.82 ៛11.5K

-40.78%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.71 ៛6,976

-62.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.61 ៛2,489

-49.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$0.99 ៛4,021

138.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.05 ៛12.4K

20.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.18 ៛8,913

-10.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.66 ៛6,768

-13.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.08 ៛4,400

23.15%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.80 ៛7,331

26.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$14.53 ៛59.3K

13.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.53 ៛18.5K

-38.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.46 ៛38.6K

-1.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$4.20 ៛17.1K

-44.05%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.70 ៛6,919

-42.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$4.65 ៛19.0K

-65.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.99 ៛8,112

-24.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.79 ៛7,308

-28.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.22 ៛4,994

-9.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.32 ៛5,392

-46.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.77 ៛3,125

-36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.86 ៛7,582

122.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$11.17 ៛45.6K

56.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.00 ៛4,092

61.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.72 ៛7,013

61.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.09 ៛4,461

6.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.97 ៛3,970

-45.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$4.91 ៛20.0K

-50.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.37 ៛5,606

5.84%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$35.7K ៛145.6M

-40.97%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$43.8K ៛178.9M

-38.55%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$119 ៛487.6K

-47.97%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$7.48 ៛30.5K

62.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$25.05 ៛102.2K

-19.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.97 ៛20.3K

30.58%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$597 ៛2.4M

23.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$10.9K ៛44.5M

35.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$27.52 ៛112.3K

93.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$23.75 ៛96.9K

3.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$91.7 ៛374.4K

-0.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$60.0 ៛244.9K

19.88%

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 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.94

-29.85%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kampong Thom: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Kampong Thom

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Kampong Thom

$257 41.1% 9.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Kampong Thom

$91 14.6% 15.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kampong Thom

$152 24.3% 60.9% $58

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Kampong Thom

$110 17.6% 42% $33

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kampong Thom

$6 * 1% 90.3% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kampong Thom

$10 * 1.6% 80.2% $40

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 $41 in Kampong Thom. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $257 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇭 Kampong Thom

🕒 Local time

06:13 6:13 AM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

19,951

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4,081 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,543 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Kampong Thom 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kampong Thom

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 Thom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 49% more than Kampong Thom, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $940 in Kampong Thom. 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 $41 in Kampong Thom. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $627 in Kampong Thom to $936 in Chiang Mai. 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.