Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Male

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,530 in Male, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Male
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Male Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Male

🇲🇻 Maldives

$1,530

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,530 in Male, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Male $1,530

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,451 in Male, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Male $2,451

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,373 in Male, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Male $3,373

Chiang Mai is about 39% cheaper than Male, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Chiang Mai sits 30% below the global median, while Male is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$5.82 MVR 89.7

-61.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$39.04 MVR 602

-50.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$9.84 MVR 152

-43.19%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.80 MVR 74.0

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 MVR 75.5

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$3.51 MVR 54.1

-51.00%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.67 MVR 25.69

-61.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.31 MVR 4.80

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.99 MVR 30.68

3.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.69 MVR 26.08

-17.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.25 MVR 19.33

2.40%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.88 MVR 29.07

19.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$10.61 MVR 164

59.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$6.16 MVR 95.0

-55.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$9.56 MVR 147

-2.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$3.98 MVR 61.4

-39.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$2.98 MVR 45.98

-66.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$4.03 MVR 62.1

-60.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$2.73 MVR 42.16

-44.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$2.08 MVR 32.01

-38.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.87 MVR 28.77

-40.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$2.12 MVR 32.73

-66.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.59 MVR 9.09

-11.86%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.47 MVR 192

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 MVR 40.81

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 MVR 29.47

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$15.18 MVR 234

-71.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.67 MVR 10.26

26.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$30.32 MVR 467

77.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.99 MVR 30.69

-41.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.98 MVR 30.55

-71.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$10.20 MVR 157

-76.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.98 MVR 15.19

47.96%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$32.1K MVR 495.0K

-36.22%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$29.2K MVR 451.0K

-9.35%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$119 MVR 1,829

-47.45%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$30.12 MVR 465

-59.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$73.9 MVR 1,140

-72.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$71.4 MVR 1,100

-46.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$33.67 MVR 519

-88.83%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$9.76 MVR 150

-31.25%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$181 MVR 2,797

339.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$3,056 MVR 47.1K

385.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$39.52 MVR 609

34.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$49.45 MVR 763

-49.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$85.8 MVR 1,323

6.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$52.6 MVR 812

39.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$938 MVR 14.5K

-50.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$709 MVR 10.9K

-57.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$2,012 MVR 31.0K

-54.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$1,570 MVR 24.2K

-64.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$2,213 MVR 34.1K

-13.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$1,385 MVR 21.4K

3.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$842 MVR 13.0K

-29.33%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Male: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Male

$709 46.4% 133% $405

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Male

$234 15.3% 1.8% $4.2

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Male

$102 6.7% 6.6% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Male

$223 14.6% 135% $128

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Male

$126 8.2% 59.6% $47

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Male

$45 2.9% 26.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Male

$91 5.9% 77% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $938 in Male. 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 42% higher in Male, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $39.00 in Male. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $234 in Male – so Male wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇻 Male

🕒 Local time

18:36 6:36 PM

16:36 4:36 PM

2 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

103,693 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Maldivian Rufiyaa MVR Rf

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MVR = 6.49 USD

100 MVR = 5.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MVR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Maldivian Rufiyaa exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 15.42 MVR (100 MVR = 6.49 USD). 1 EUR = 17.34 MVR (100 MVR = 5.77 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Male 3,210 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Male

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 Male: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Male costs about 63% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. 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 $2,295 in Male. 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.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $181 in Male. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Male – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Male at $1,530. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Male it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,530 in Male. 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, Male makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.