Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Mahé

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,773 in Mahé, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
91

Cost of Living Index in Mahé
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Mahé Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Mahé

🇸🇨 Seychelles

$1,773

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,773 in Mahé, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Mahé $1,773

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,601 in Mahé, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Mahé $2,601

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,429 in Mahé, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Mahé $3,429

Chiang Mai is about 48% cheaper than Mahé, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 32% below the global median, while Mahé is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$17.59 SCR 255

-86.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$106 SCR 1,546

-81.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$5.73 SCR 83.2

-2.09%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$6.59 SCR 95.7

-74.81%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.65 SCR 24.00

-57.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$13.03 SCR 189

-81.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$9.09 SCR 132

-59.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.56 SCR 22.72

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.13 SCR 16.46

24.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.86 SCR 27.04

-29.57%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$4.11 SCR 59.7

-46.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$15.85 SCR 230

5.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$8.18 SCR 119

-66.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$12.63 SCR 183

-27.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.11 SCR 30.59

13.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.29 SCR 33.30

-28.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$6.54 SCR 95.0

-77.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.09 SCR 15.82

18.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.09 SCR 15.84

1.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.04 SCR 15.14

-30.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$14.54 SCR 211

-70.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.20 SCR 31.96

29.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.75 SCR 10.83

14.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$35.49 SCR 515

50.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$14.42 SCR 210

-83.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.53 SCR 22.17

-5.88%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$50.0 SCR 727

24.61%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$21.17 SCR 307

-42.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$108 SCR 1,574

-81.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$53.1 SCR 772

-30.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$6.50 SCR 94.5

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

$793 ฿26.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$30.20 SCR 439

77.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$12.25 SCR 178

100.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$48.21 SCR 700

88.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$61.2 SCR 889

16.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$853 SCR 12.4K

-46.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$850 SCR 12.3K

-64.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$1,757 SCR 25.5K

-48.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$1,083 SCR 15.7K

-48.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$857 SCR 12.4K

-31.02%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Mahé: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Mahé

$850 47.9% 185% $552

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Mahé

$244 * 13.7% 3.4% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Mahé

$68 3.9% 36.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Mahé

$180 10.1% 90.3% $85

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Mahé

$327 * 18.4% 316% $248

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Mahé

$38 * 2.2% 36.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Mahé

$66 3.7% 32.1% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $853 in Mahé. 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 45% higher in Mahé, 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $106 in Mahé. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $244 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇨 Mahé

🕒 Local time

08:32 8:32 AM

05:32 5:32 AM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

78,539

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Seychellois Rupee SCR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 SCR = 6.88 USD

100 SCR = 6.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SCR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Seychellois Rupee exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 14.52 SCR (100 SCR = 6.88 USD). 1 EUR = 16.33 SCR (100 SCR = 6.12 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Mahé 5,430 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Mahé

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 Mahé: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mahé costs about 92% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,660 in Mahé. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 50% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Mahé, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Mahé at $1,773. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mahé it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,773 in Mahé. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mahé makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.