Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kaohsiung

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,131 in Kaohsiung, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Kaohsiung
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Kaohsiung Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Kaohsiung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,131

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Kaohsiung

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,131 in Kaohsiung, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Kaohsiung $1,131

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,838 in Kaohsiung, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Kaohsiung $1,838

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,544 in Kaohsiung, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Kaohsiung $2,544

Chiang Mai is about 17% cheaper than Kaohsiung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Kaohsiung are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Kaohsiung 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$5.63 NT$183

-59.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$31.36 NT$1,017

-38.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$4.65 NT$151

20.22%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.78 NT$90.1

-38.13%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.08 NT$34.99

-40.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.66 NT$21.40

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.52 NT$49.14

55.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$2.49 NT$80.7

56.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$3.10 NT$100

-33.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$2.18 NT$70.7

-35.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$2.94 NT$95.3

-56.46%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$2.68 NT$86.9

-16.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$15.81 NT$513

7.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$8.12 NT$263

-66.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$15.55 NT$504

-39.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$6.60 NT$214

-63.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$2.73 NT$88.5

-63.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$2.54 NT$82.2

-36.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$3.13 NT$102

-51.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$2.78 NT$90.2

-53.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$2.00 NT$64.9

-44.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$2.43 NT$78.7

-70.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.02 NT$33.12

-49.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$4.45 NT$144

-2.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$15.54 NT$504

14.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.57 NT$51.0

3.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.20 NT$71.5

29.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.71 NT$23.13

19.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$12.65 NT$410

326.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$2.70 NT$87.6

-56.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.75 NT$24.34

-24.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$5.48 NT$178

-56.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.05 NT$33.97

38.10%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$33.6K NT$1.1M

-39.13%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$23.6K NT$765.3K

12.35%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$85.5 NT$2,773

-27.10%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$17.29 NT$561

-29.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$26.39 NT$856

-24.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$40.61 NT$1,317

-6.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$10.33 NT$335

-63.60%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$11.13 NT$361

-39.71%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$473 NT$15.3K

68.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$14.1K NT$456.9K

5.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$92.9 NT$3,013

-42.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$31.16 NT$1,011

-19.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$88.0 NT$2,855

4.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$102 NT$3,310

-28.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$437 NT$14.2K

6.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$301 NT$9,746

1.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$1,005 NT$32.6K

-8.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$681 NT$22.1K

-18.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$4,523 NT$146.7K

-57.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$3,193 NT$103.5K

-54.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$1,471 NT$47.7K

-59.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.56

117.58%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kaohsiung: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Kaohsiung

$301 26.6% 1.4% $4.1

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Kaohsiung

$363 32.1% 52.4% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Kaohsiung

$141 12.5% 29.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Kaohsiung

$129 11.4% 36.6% $35

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Kaohsiung

$112 9.9% 41.6% $33

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Kaohsiung

$22 1.9% 64.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Kaohsiung

$63 5.6% 22.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $437 in Kaohsiung. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 147% higher in Kaohsiung, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $31.00 in Kaohsiung. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $363 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇼 Kaohsiung

🕒 Local time

11:20 11:20 AM

12:20 12:20 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,777,873

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, 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).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Kaohsiung 2,260 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kaohsiung

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 Kaohsiung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaohsiung costs about 20% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,696 in Kaohsiung. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $473 in Kaohsiung. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Kaohsiung, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Kaohsiung at $1,131. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kaohsiung it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,131 in Kaohsiung. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kaohsiung makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.