Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and La Marsa

For one person, living is cheaper in La Marsa: $766 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
37

Cost of Living Index in La Marsa
Learn more

La Marsa Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

La Marsa

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$766

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in La Marsa

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $766 in La Marsa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
La Marsa $766

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,280 in La Marsa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
La Marsa $1,280

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,794 in La Marsa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
La Marsa $1,794

Chiang Mai costs about 22% more than La Marsa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and La Marsa are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, La Marsa 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.40 TND 10.22

-34.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$19.63 TND 59.0

-3.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.18 TND 15.56

7.14%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.25 TND 3.76

33.60%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.59 TND 1.77

8.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.28 TND 0.85

10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.46 TND 4.39

61.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.95 TND 5.85

87.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.49 TND 1.48

297.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.29 TND 0.86

396.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$2.23 TND 6.70

-40.36%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.77 TND 5.32

28.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$9.90 TND 29.73

66.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$6.62 TND 19.89

-58.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$13.02 TND 39.11

-28.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.95 TND 5.85

20.51%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$3.60 TND 10.83

-73.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.43 TND 4.28

11.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.67 TND 2.01

123.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.58 TND 1.76

120.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.67 TND 2.00

64.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.43 TND 1.31

65.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.28 TND 0.83

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.56 TND 10.69

16.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.50 TND 19.54

169.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.25 TND 3.76

28.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.59 TND 4.78

74.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.32 TND 0.95

171.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$7.22 TND 21.68

649.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.31 TND 0.94

274.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.46 TND 1.38

15.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$3.89 TND 11.69

-37.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$0.86 TND 2.58

68.60%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$40.0K TND 120.1K

-47.33%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$37.0K TND 111.1K

-27.17%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$33.34 TND 100

86.47%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$12.23 TND 36.74

-0.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$18.21 TND 54.7

10.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$42.01 TND 126

-11.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$7.14 TND 21.44

-47.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.30 TND 15.92

22.45%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$57.5 TND 173

1180.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$2,532 TND 7,606

483.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$63.6 TND 191

-16.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$70.5 TND 212

-65.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$88.7 TND 266

3.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$91.2 TND 274

-21.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$288 TND 865

67.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$229 TND 687

35.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$710 TND 2,134

41.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$564 TND 1,693

12.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,658 TND 4,980

42.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,162 TND 3,491

36.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$333 TND 1,001

77.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-60.21%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for La Marsa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

La Marsa

$229 29.8% 26% $80

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

La Marsa

$197 25.7% 16.1% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

La Marsa

$141 18.4% 30.1% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

La Marsa

$64 8.3% 32.5% $31

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

La Marsa

$72 9.5% 6.6% $5.1

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

La Marsa

$11 1.5% 81.9% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

La Marsa

$53 6.9% 4.6% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $288 in La Marsa. 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 77% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $20 in La Marsa. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $197 in La Marsa – so La Marsa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇳 La Marsa

🕒 Local time

15:37 3:37 PM

09:37 9:37 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

92,987

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 TND = 0.333 USD

1 TND = 0.298 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3 TND (1 TND = 0.333 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai La Marsa 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
La Marsa

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 La Marsa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 22% more than La Marsa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,150 in La Marsa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in La Marsa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $288 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $58 in La Marsa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. La Marsa costs $766 versus $936 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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

If budget matters most, go with La Marsa. 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.