Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kirkwall

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,121 in Kirkwall, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Kirkwall
Learn more

Kirkwall Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Kirkwall

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,121

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,121 in Kirkwall, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Kirkwall $2,121

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,026 in Kirkwall, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Kirkwall $3,026

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,931 in Kirkwall, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Kirkwall $3,931

Chiang Mai is about 56% cheaper than Kirkwall, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 32% below the global median, while Kirkwall is 57% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$23.63 £17.73

-90.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$94.8 £71.1

-79.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$10.57 £7.93

-46.93%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.92 £2.94

-57.65%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$3.26 £2.44

-78.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$1.31 £0.98

-76.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$6.20 £4.65

-61.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$8.47 £6.36

-56.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$0.79 £0.59

146.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.58 £1.19

-10.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$2.05 £1.54

-36.10%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$3.22 £2.42

-32.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$6.59 £4.95

152.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$8.97 £6.73

-69.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$15.90 £11.92

-42.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.20 £1.65

8.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.97 £1.48

-47.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.57 £1.18

3.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.32 £0.99

13.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.11 £0.83

16.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.09 £0.82

1.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.77 £0.58

-6.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$1.08 £0.81

-50.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$20.10 £15.08

-78.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$9.18 £6.89

95.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$2.71 £2.03

-41.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.88 £2.16

-1.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$10.51 £7.89

-91.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$107 £80.4

-50.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$5.19 £3.90

-76.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$2.58 £1.93

-77.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$27.06 £20.30

-91.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$2.05 £1.54

-29.76%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$37.8K £28.4K

-45.23%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$41.2K £30.9K

-34.88%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$282 £212

-77.93%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$30.12 £22.60

-59.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$33.04 £24.79

-39.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$41.73 £31.31

-11.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$11.46 £8.60

-43.28%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$1,237 £928

-35.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$91.5 £68.7

-41.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$43.72 £32.80

-43.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$95.0 £71.3

-4.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$138 £103

-48.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$935 £701

-51.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$792 £594

-62.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$1,182 £887

-23.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$966 £725

-42.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$1,914 £1,436

-69.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.07

9.86%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Kirkwall: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Kirkwall

$792 37.3% 166% $494

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Kirkwall

$252 11.9% 7% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Kirkwall

$165 7.8% 53% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Kirkwall

$346 16.3% 266% $251

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Kirkwall

$334 15.8% 325% $255

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kirkwall

$167 7.9% 175% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kirkwall

$65 3.1% 29.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $935 in Kirkwall. 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 224% higher in Kirkwall, 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $95.0 in Kirkwall. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $252 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇬🇧 Kirkwall

🕒 Local time

01:36 1:36 AM

19:36 7:36 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

7,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Kirkwall 8,890 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kirkwall

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 Kirkwall: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kirkwall costs about 129% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $3,182 in Kirkwall. 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 $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,237 in Kirkwall. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Kirkwall, 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 $925, than in Kirkwall at $2,121. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kirkwall it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,121 in Kirkwall. 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, Kirkwall makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.