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

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $869 per month in Chiang Mai vs $595 in Kampong Thom, rent included.

A couple spends around $1,362 per month in Chiang Mai vs $959 in Kampong Thom, rent included.

A family of three spends $1,855 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,322 in Kampong Thom, rent included.

Chiang Mai costs about 46% more than Kampong Thom, driven mainly by Sport & Entertainment.

Both Chiang Mai and Kampong Thom are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 35% lower, Kampong Thom 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ฿65.0

$4.93 ៛19.7K

-59.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.80 ฿619

$30.53 ៛122.4K

-38.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.75 ฿255

$6.97 ៛27.9K

11.19%

Cappuccino

$1.92 ฿63.2

$2.65 ៛10.6K

-27.55%

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

$0.79 ฿26.07

$0.99 ៛3,977

-20.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ฿11.74

$0.98 ៛3,930

-63.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 ฿72.9

$1.54 ៛6,168

43.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿120

$2.44 ៛9,776

50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ฿54.4

$2.08 ៛8,339

-20.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ฿53.7

$1.47 ៛5,886

10.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 ฿39.28

$0.98 ៛3,925

21.43%

Eggs

$2.00 ฿65.8

$1.75 ៛6,994

14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.98 ฿526

$12.65 ៛50.7K

26.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.03 ฿99.6

$4.16 ៛16.7K

-27.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.86 ฿357

$10.30 ៛41.3K

5.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 ฿90.9

$4.44 ៛17.8K

-37.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ฿38.83

$1.53 ៛6,113

-22.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ฿54.0

$3.91 ៛15.7K

-58.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.0

$1.46 ៛5,835

4.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 ฿45.59

$1.74 ៛6,991

-20.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ฿39.25

$1.21 ៛4,831

-1.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ฿23.11

$1.41 ៛5,651

-50.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ฿18.32

$0.67 ៛2,683

-16.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.58 ฿151

$1.95 ៛7,815

134.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.56 ฿545

$11.53 ៛46.2K

43.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 ฿60.2

$1.00 ៛4,008

83.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ฿105

$1.68 ៛6,724

90.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ฿28.87

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.72 ฿616

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ฿44.64

$1.07 ៛4,301

27.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 ฿44.12

$1.03 ៛4,125

30.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.84 ฿258

$4.57 ៛18.3K

71.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ฿40.35

$1.17 ៛4,693

5.13%

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

$21.6K ฿711.8K

$48.5K ៛194.4M

-55.41%

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

$22.5K ฿742.2K

$36.7K ៛147.2M

-38.62%

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

$70.5 ฿2,322

$106 ៛425.8K

-33.61%

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

$13.68 ฿450

$6.45 ៛25.8K

112.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.45 ฿574

$23.43 ៛93.9K

-25.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.33 ฿1,361

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.96 ฿229

Cinema Ticket

$5.77 ฿190

$4.37 ៛17.5K

32.04%

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

$307 ฿10.1K

$370 ៛1.5M

-17.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K ฿481.0K

$11.6K ៛46.6M

25.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 ฿1,837

$22.19 ៛88.9K

151.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.21 ฿863

$22.03 ៛88.3K

18.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 ฿2,823

$89.7 ៛359.7K

-4.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.2 ฿2,378

$72.4 ៛290.3K

-0.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 ฿14.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$239 ฿7,857

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 ฿26.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$511 ฿16.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,983 ฿65.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,484 ฿48.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$619 ฿20.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.3

-51.46%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: June 7, 2026

Last update for Kampong Thom: June 6, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $31.00 in Kampong Thom. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $243 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

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 46% more than Kampong Thom, with the gap driven mainly by Sport & Entertainment. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,303 per month in Chiang Mai and $893 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $31.00 in Kampong Thom. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $869 in Chiang Mai and $595 in Kampong Thom, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kampong Thom costs $595 versus $869 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 Thom. 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.