Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Miaoli

For one person, living is cheaper in Miaoli: $768 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 Miaoli
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Miaoli Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Miaoli

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$768

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $768 in Miaoli, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Miaoli $768

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,069 in Miaoli, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Miaoli $1,069

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,370 in Miaoli, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Miaoli $1,370

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$2.53 NT$82.1

-11.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$23.04 NT$747

-17.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$4.69 NT$152

18.34%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.94 NT$95.4

-43.20%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.83 NT$26.77

-22.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.55 NT$17.90

-43.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.20 NT$38.81

96.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.28 NT$41.56

185.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.64 NT$85.6

-26.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.22 NT$39.62

18.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.64 NT$85.7

-49.62%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.05 NT$66.6

11.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$8.96 NT$290

83.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$7.43 NT$241

-62.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$21.11 NT$685

-55.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.77 NT$122

-37.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.96 NT$63.5

-50.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.91 NT$94.4

-45.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.10 NT$101

-51.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$2.53 NT$81.9

-49.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.91 NT$61.8

-42.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$2.20 NT$71.3

-67.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.89 NT$29.00

-44.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.86 NT$125

7.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$10.90 NT$354

60.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.40 NT$45.44

15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.10 NT$68.2

32.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$2.81 NT$91.2

-58.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.74 NT$23.97

-28.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$7.07 NT$229

-65.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.01 NT$32.81

43.56%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$36.7K NT$1.2M

-42.58%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$22.8K NT$738.9K

18.22%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$68.0 NT$2,205

-8.56%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$17.30 NT$561

-29.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$21.61 NT$701

-6.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.84 NT$351

-40.13%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$508 NT$16.5K

44.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$30.8K NT$1.0M

-52.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$12.19 NT$395

337.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$23.87 NT$774

3.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$62.2 NT$2,016

47.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$94.1 NT$3,052

-23.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$211 NT$6,840

128.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$156 NT$5,064

97.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,374 NT$77.0K

-75.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.38

134.03%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Miaoli: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Miaoli

$156 20.3% 49.4% $153

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Miaoli

$306 39.9% 30.8% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Miaoli

$87 11.3% 20.3% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Miaoli

$107 13.9% 13.2% $12

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Miaoli

$84 10.9% 7.9% $6.1

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Miaoli

$6.5 * 0.9% 89.4% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Miaoli

$22 * 2.8% 56.9% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $211 in Miaoli. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Miaoli are about 4 times higher, 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 $23 in Miaoli. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $306 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇼 Miaoli

🕒 Local time

22:02 10:02 PM

23:02 11:02 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

89,892

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.09 TWD (100 TWD = 2.77 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Miaoli 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Miaoli

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 Miaoli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 22% more than Miaoli, 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 $1,152 in Miaoli. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Miaoli, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $211 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $23 in Miaoli. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 24% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $768 in Miaoli, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

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.