Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Lalmatie

For one person, living is cheaper in Lalmatie: $707 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Lalmatie
Learn more

Lalmatie Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Lalmatie

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$707

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $707 in Lalmatie, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Lalmatie $707

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,253 in Lalmatie, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Lalmatie $1,253

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,798 in Lalmatie, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Lalmatie $1,798

Chiang Mai costs about 32% more than Lalmatie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chiang Mai and Lalmatie are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Lalmatie 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.9

$5.86 MUR 276

-63.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$38.72 MUR 1,824

-51.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$7.29 MUR 343

-23.18%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.68 MUR 126

-38.06%

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

$0.65 ฿21.80

$1.02 MUR 48.26

-36.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.28

$0.48 MUR 22.59

-37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.84 MUR 86.6

26.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.09 MUR 98.4

75.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.9

$1.60 MUR 75.2

26.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.45

$0.18 MUR 8.64

683.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.90

$1.16 MUR 54.6

19.83%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.8

$2.69 MUR 127

-11.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$12.67 MUR 597

30.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.0

$6.29 MUR 296

-57.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$11.17 MUR 527

-19.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.8

$2.74 MUR 129

-12.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.09

$2.44 MUR 115

-57.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.45 MUR 68.3

14.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.5

$2.06 MUR 97.0

-24.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.71

$1.01 MUR 47.50

22.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.62

$0.96 MUR 45.19

13.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.67

$0.74 MUR 35.00

2.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.33

$0.86 MUR 40.65

-40.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$6.42 MUR 303

-35.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿604

$7.60 MUR 358

135.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.7

$1.69 MUR 79.8

-4.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.1

$2.29 MUR 108

23.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.49

$1.12 MUR 52.8

-16.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,782

$53.6 MUR 2,525

-1.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.65

$4.33 MUR 204

-72.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$1.27 MUR 59.9

-86.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$20.94 MUR 987

-91.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.63

$1.40 MUR 66.0

5.00%

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

$21.0K ฿708.1K

$37.0K MUR 1.7M

-43.14%

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

$26.5K ฿893.6K

$31.2K MUR 1.5M

-14.95%

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

$62.6 ฿2,108

$45.19 MUR 2,129

38.44%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$10.41 MUR 491

11.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿684

$29.31 MUR 1,381

-30.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,277

$37.73 MUR 1,778

0.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$6.50 MUR 306

0.15%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$100 MUR 4,723

625.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿558.5K

$7,766 MUR 366.0K

113.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,804

$12.30 MUR 580

335.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$24.64 MUR 1,161

0.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,046

$49.24 MUR 2,320

83.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,425

$37.22 MUR 1,754

93.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$204 MUR 9,605

136.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$99.9 MUR 4,707

210.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$619 MUR 29.2K

70.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$374 MUR 17.6K

75.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$626 MUR 29.5K

-4.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.67

-16.49%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lalmatie: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Lalmatie

$100 14.1% 67.8% $210

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Lalmatie

$227 32.1% 4% $9.5

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Lalmatie

$56 7.9% 48.7% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Lalmatie

$85 12% 10.1% $9.6

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Lalmatie

$120 17% 57% $44

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Lalmatie

$69 9.7% 17.2% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Lalmatie

$51 7.2% 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $204 in Lalmatie. 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 5% higher in Lalmatie, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $39 in Lalmatie. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $227 in Lalmatie – so Lalmatie wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇺 Lalmatie

🕒 Local time

18:57 6:57 PM

15:57 3:57 PM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

10,641

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 47.12 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.75 MUR (100 MUR = 1.9 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Lalmatie 6,250 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Lalmatie

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 Lalmatie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 32% more than Lalmatie, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $1,061 in Lalmatie. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lalmatie, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $204 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $39 in Lalmatie. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Lalmatie – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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