Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kish

For one person, living is cheaper in Kish: $552 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Kish
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Kish Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Kish

🇮🇷 Iran

$552

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $552 in Kish, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Kish $552

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $875 in Kish, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Kish $875

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,199 in Kish, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Kish $1,199

Chiang Mai costs about 70% more than Kish, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Kish are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kish 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.6

$5.48 $5.48

-61.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿624

$15.71 $15.71

18.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$4.62 $4.62

21.21%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.73 $0.73

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 $1.07

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.8

$1.12 $1.12

48.21%

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

$0.65 ฿21.69

$0.51 $0.51

27.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.22

$0.99 $0.99

-69.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$0.65 $0.65

210.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.21

$0.48 $0.48

193.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.67

$2.06 $2.06

-32.52%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.4

$1.18 $1.18

100.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿554

$4.41 $4.41

274.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.5

$3.29 $3.29

-18.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$10.32 $10.32

-12.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.4

$1.02 $1.02

135.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.91

$1.56 $1.56

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.6

$0.82 $0.82

102.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$0.57 $0.57

173.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.50

$0.57 $0.57

117.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.44

$0.47 $0.47

131.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.54

$0.57 $0.57

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.24

$0.24 $0.24

112.50%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 $1.39

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$2.53 $2.53

62.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿601

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.6

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.33

$0.14 $0.14

564.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,773

$9.34 $9.34

466.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.45

$0.42 $0.42

180.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.75

$0.29 $0.29

-41.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.8

$2.65 $2.65

-31.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.38

$0.08 $0.08

1737.50%

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

$21.0K ฿704.5K

$49.7K $49.7K

-57.76%

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

$26.5K ฿889.1K

$45.2K $45.2K

-41.32%

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

$62.6 ฿2,098

$12.87 $12.87

386.09%

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

$11.60 ฿389

$1.58 $1.58

634.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿681

$3.87 $3.87

424.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,270

$18.46 $18.46

105.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$13.21 $13.21

-71.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$2.05 $2.05

217.56%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$108 $108

573.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿555.7K

$2,376 $2,376

597.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,795

$22.77 $22.77

135.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿832

$28.28 $28.28

-12.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,031

$98.6 $98.6

-8.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,413

$73.3 $73.3

-1.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$288 $288

66.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$208 $208

48.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$801 $801

32.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$360 $360

82.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

$1,135 $1,135

112.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.9K

$534 $534

201.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$412 $412

44.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

24.3

-77.08%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kish: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Kish

$208 37.8% 32.8% $102

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Kish

$113 20.5% 52.2% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Kish

$100 18.2% 7.4% $8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kish

$18 3.3% 80.6% $76

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Kish

$77 14% 0.7% $0.6

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Kish

$12 2.1% 79.9% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Kish

$23 4.1% 55.7% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $288 in Kish. 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 44% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 in Chiang Mai versus $16 in Kish. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $113 – making Kish the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇷 Kish

🕒 Local time

21:57 9:57 PM

18:27 6:27 PM

3 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

24,819

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Kish 4,680 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kish

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 Kish: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 70% more than Kish, 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 $827 in Kish. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kish, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $288 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $108 in Kish. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 109% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $552 in Kish, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Kish – 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 Kish. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.