Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kingston upon Hull

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,834 in Kingston upon Hull, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Kingston upon Hull, United Kingdom
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Kingston upon Hull
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$1,834
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Kingston upon Hull

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 Kingston upon Hull actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,834 in Kingston upon Hull, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Kingston upon Hull $1,834

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,642 in Kingston upon Hull, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Kingston upon Hull $2,642

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,449 in Kingston upon Hull, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Kingston upon Hull $3,449

Chiang Mai is about 49% cheaper than Kingston upon Hull, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Kingston upon Hull is 35% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Kingston upon Hull
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.6
$19.96 £14.91
-88.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿641
$81.1 £60.6
-76.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿187
$9.24 £6.91
-39.94%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.5
$4.19 £3.13
-60.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.55
$1.98 £1.48
-67.68%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.31
$1.45 £1.08
-78.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.6
$4.23 £3.16
-44.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$6.03 £4.51
-39.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Kingston upon Hull
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.8
$2.07 £1.54
-5.80%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.48
$1.53 £1.14
-5.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.04
$1.52 £1.14
-12.50%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.1
$4.02 £3.00
-43.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿555
$5.77 £4.31
185.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿93.9
$7.41 £5.53
-62.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$10.29 £7.68
-9.52%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.4
$2.77 £2.07
-15.16%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.80
$1.60 £1.20
-39.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$2.64 £1.97
-39.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$1.97 £1.47
-23.86%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.12
$1.60 £1.19
-20.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.19
$1.22 £0.91
-9.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.82
$1.03 £0.77
-31.07%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.37
$1.27 £0.95
-61.42%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$24.14 £18.04
-82.85%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿591
$9.30 £6.95
88.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$2.02 £1.51
-20.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$2.99 £2.23
-7.02%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Kingston upon Hull
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.31
$3.89 £2.91
-77.63%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,826
$99.0 £74.0
-45.36%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.06
$3.38 £2.52
-65.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.80
$1.36 £1.01
-61.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.8
$29.31 £21.89
-91.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.90
$1.97 £1.47
-26.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿710.7K
$39.3K £29.3K
-46.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿909.3K
$40.1K £29.9K
-32.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Kingston upon Hull
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,098
$250 £187
-75.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿411
$24.23 £18.10
-49.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿679
$44.39 £33.16
-54.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Kingston upon Hull
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,259
$36.56 £27.31
2.05%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
$13.19 £9.86
-71.42%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$8.65 £6.46
-24.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Kingston upon Hull
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.8K
$1,523 £1,138
-51.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.3K
$22.9K £17.1K
-35.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Kingston upon Hull
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,801
$51.8 £38.69
3.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿831
$34.66 £25.89
-28.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,087
$80.4 £60.1
13.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,428
$58.0 £43.35
23.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Kingston upon Hull
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$814 £608
-40.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$702 £525
-56.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿33.9K
$1,232 £921
-18.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$939 £701
-32.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.8K
$3,338 £2,494
-29.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.6K
$2,256 £1,685
-29.57%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Kingston upon Hull
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
$3,135 £2,342
-81.19%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
5.21
6.91%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kingston upon Hull: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Kingston upon Hull
$702 127% $393
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Kingston upon Hull
$248 6% $14
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Kingston upon Hull
$101 6.9% $7.5
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Kingston upon Hull
$319 238% $225
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Kingston upon Hull
$285 267% $207
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Kingston upon Hull
$125 103% $63
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Kingston upon Hull
$54 7.1% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $814 in Kingston upon Hull. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kingston upon Hull are about 5.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $81 in Kingston upon Hull. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $248 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇬🇧 Kingston upon Hull
🕒 Local time
21:01 9:01 PM
14:01 2:01 PM
7 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
260,700
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Kingston upon Hull 8,930 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Kingston upon Hull

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 Kingston upon Hull: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Kingston upon Hull?
Kingston upon Hull costs about 96% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Kingston upon Hull?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,751 in Kingston upon Hull. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Kingston upon Hull?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $814 in Kingston upon Hull.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Kingston upon Hull?
Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,523 in Kingston upon Hull. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Kingston upon Hull?
Groceries cost about 6% more in Kingston upon Hull, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Chiang Mai or in Kingston upon Hull?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,834 in Kingston upon Hull. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Chiang Mai or Kingston upon Hull?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,834 in Kingston upon Hull. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Chiang Mai or to Kingston upon Hull?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kingston upon Hull makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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