Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Khost

For one person, living is cheaper in Khost: $406 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
20

Cost of Living Index in Khost
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Khost Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Khost

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $406 in Khost, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Khost $406

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $598 in Khost, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Khost $598

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $789 in Khost, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Khost $789

Chiang Mai costs about 131% more than Khost, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Khost are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Khost 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.75 ؋178

-18.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$7.61 ؋495

149.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.55 ؋295

21.98%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ؋153

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ؋117

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.12 ؋72.5

49.11%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.49 ؋31.50

30.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.16 ؋10.08

93.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.86 ؋55.9

126.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.25 ؋16.35

476.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.81 ؋117

-26.52%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.51 ؋97.8

50.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$4.47 ؋290

268.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.03 ؋262

-31.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$6.85 ؋445

35.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$0.69 ؋44.79

240.58%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$0.84 ؋54.2

15.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.90 ؋58.2

77.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.54 ؋35.20

177.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.60 ؋39.26

113.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.51 ؋33.05

115.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.30 ؋19.69

136.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.40 ؋25.90

22.50%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.87 ؋121

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ؋51.4

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 ؋67.6

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.43 ؋158

70.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.48 ؋31.04

81.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$18.66 ؋1,212

189.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.75 ؋48.85

54.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.44 ؋28.45

20.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$2.29 ؋149

5.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.09 ؋70.9

33.03%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$8,296 ؋538.8K

153.84%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$34.1K ؋2.2M

-20.99%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$42.62 ؋2,768

45.87%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$12.76 ؋829

-4.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$95.8 ؋6,224

-79.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$7.80 ؋507

378.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.01 ؋390

-37.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.27 ؋148

185.90%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$20.43 ؋1,327

3503.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$1,054 ؋68.5K

1300.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$10.71 ؋696

398.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$15.69 ؋1,019

57.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$58.4 ؋3,796

56.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$25.17 ؋1,635

185.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$30.85 ؋2,004

1463.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$15.63 ؋1,015

1876.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$76.5 ؋4,968

1215.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$46.93 ؋3,048

1249.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$188 ؋12.2K

214.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-44.30%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Khost: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Khost

$16 3.9% 94.9% $293

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Khost

$102 25.2% 56.4% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Khost

$50 12.2% 54.4% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Khost

$151 37.3% 60.1% $57

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Khost

$52 12.7% 33.5% $26

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Khost

$24 5.8% 61.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Khost

$12 3% 75.5% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $31 in Khost. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $8 in Khost. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $102 – making Khost the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇦🇫 Khost

🕒 Local time

15:00 3:00 PM

12:30 12:30 PM

2 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

11,987

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 64.95 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.29 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Khost 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Khost

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 Khost: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 131% more than Khost, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $609 in Khost. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Khost, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $31 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $20 in Khost. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 130% 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.

Families tend to lean toward Khost – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Khost. 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.