Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Lopburi

For one person, living is cheaper in Lopburi: $802 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Chiang Mai despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Lopburi
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Lopburi Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Lopburi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$802

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $802 in Lopburi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Lopburi $802

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,300 in Lopburi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Lopburi $1,300

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,797 in Lopburi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Lopburi $1,797

Chiang Mai costs about 17% more than Lopburi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Lopburi are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Lopburi 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$1.31 ฿43.91

72.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$11.78 ฿394

62.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$4.45 ฿149

25.62%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.18 ฿39.40

45.76%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.75 ฿25.06

-14.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.31 ฿10.52

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$2.13 ฿71.0

10.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$2.89 ฿96.7

34.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.15 ฿38.59

78.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.28 ฿42.91

9.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.28 ฿42.72

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.73 ฿57.9

30.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$12.59 ฿421

34.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$2.50 ฿83.6

9.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$9.96 ฿333

-6.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.37 ฿45.72

75.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$0.85 ฿28.32

18.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.16 ฿38.66

38.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.58 ฿52.8

-3.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.81 ฿60.6

-29.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.86 ฿28.78

29.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.83 ฿27.69

-13.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.41 ฿13.82

26.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$4.47 ฿149

-3.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$14.07 ฿470

26.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.68 ฿56.3

-2.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.86 ฿62.3

53.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.93 ฿30.93

-8.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$2.36 ฿78.9

-50.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.52 ฿50.8

-62.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$5.00 ฿167

-52.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.46 ฿48.68

-0.68%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$16.5K ฿552.3K

23.90%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$26.1K ฿873.8K

1.40%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$82.6 ฿2,759

-24.51%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$9.32 ฿311

31.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$8.98 ฿300

122.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$47.06 ฿1,573

-19.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$14.11 ฿471

-73.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$6.72 ฿225

-0.15%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$708 ฿23.7K

12.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$6,016 ฿201.0K

146.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$6.11 ฿204

771.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$35.13 ฿1,174

-28.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$71.9 ฿2,404

27.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$54.1 ฿1,809

35.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$442 ฿14.8K

5.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$296 ฿9,904

2.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$1,365 ฿45.6K

-32.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$747 ฿25.0K

-26.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$1,932 ฿64.6K

-1.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$1,551 ฿51.8K

-7.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.3

-11.59%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lopburi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Lopburi

$296 37% 2.7% $8.3

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Lopburi

$197 24.5% 17.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Lopburi

$75 9.4% 31.3% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Lopburi

$101 12.6% 6.6% $6.3

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Lopburi

$59 7.3% 25.7% $20

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Lopburi

$14 * 1.7% 77.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Lopburi

$61 7.5% 17.8% $9.2

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $442 in Lopburi. 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $12.00 in Lopburi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $197 – making Lopburi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Lopburi

🕒 Local time

08:04 8:04 AM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

26,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Chiang Mai Lopburi 480 km

From you

Chiang Mai
Lopburi

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 Lopburi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 17% more than Lopburi, 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,203 in Lopburi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lopburi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $12.00 in Lopburi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Lopburi, where all-in costs run around $802, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Lopburi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lopburi costs $802 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. 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 Lopburi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.