Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Koh Chang

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,021 in Koh Chang, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Koh Chang
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Koh Chang Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Koh Chang

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Koh Chang

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,021 in Koh Chang, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Koh Chang $1,021

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,720 in Koh Chang, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Koh Chang $1,720

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,418 in Koh Chang, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Koh Chang $2,418

Chiang Mai is about 8% cheaper than Koh Chang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Chiang Mai and Koh Chang are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Koh Chang 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.47 ฿117

-35.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$26.30 ฿888

-27.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.04 ฿238

-21.16%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.18 ฿73.5

-23.39%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.75 ฿25.33

-14.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.37 ฿12.35

-16.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.00 ฿67.7

18.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.00 ฿101

22.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.48 ฿50.0

31.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.25 ฿42.31

15.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.37 ฿46.39

-2.92%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.89 ฿63.7

20.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$17.29 ฿584

-4.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.05 ฿103

-8.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.19 ฿344

-8.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.68 ฿90.6

-12.31%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.53 ฿51.7

-36.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.95 ฿65.9

-17.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.85 ฿62.4

-18.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.29 ฿43.65

-0.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.24 ฿41.72

-11.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.01 ฿34.04

-29.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.49 ฿16.67

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.77 ฿127

9.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$16.75 ฿565

4.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.56 ฿52.7

3.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.46 ฿83.0

13.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$1.21 ฿40.91

-28.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$38.34 ฿1,294

41.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$2.43 ฿81.9

-52.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.85 ฿28.77

-37.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$2.93 ฿98.9

-17.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.14 ฿38.48

27.19%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$21.7K ฿733.1K

-3.05%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$20.9K ฿707.0K

28.61%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$94.6 ฿3,191

-34.25%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.67 ฿360

14.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$16.02 ฿541

25.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$58.0 ฿1,957

-35.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$9.00 ฿304

-58.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$422 ฿14.3K

74.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$10.2K ฿343.5K

45.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$60.3 ฿2,036

-11.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$26.66 ฿900

-7.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$89.3 ฿3,015

2.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$81.5 ฿2,751

-11.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$469 ฿15.8K

2.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$327 ฿11.0K

-5.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,292 ฿43.6K

-22.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$917 ฿31.0K

-30.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,704 ฿91.2K

-12.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,904 ฿64.3K

-16.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Koh Chang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Koh Chang

$327 32% 5.9% $18

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Koh Chang

$240 23.5% 2.6% $6

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Koh Chang

$116 11.4% 6.8% $7.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Koh Chang

$121 11.9% 28.4% $27

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Koh Chang

$95 9.4% 23.1% $18

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Koh Chang

$50 4.9% 18.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Koh Chang

$71 7% 41.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $469 in Koh Chang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $26 in Koh Chang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $240 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Koh Chang

🕒 Local time

14:07 2:07 PM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

8,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Koh Chang 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Koh Chang

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 Koh Chang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koh Chang costs about 9% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. 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 $1,531 in Koh Chang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $469 in Koh Chang. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $26 in Koh Chang. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 29% less in Koh Chang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,021 in Koh Chang. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,021 in Koh Chang. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.