Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Midlands

For one person, living is cheaper in Midlands: $623 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Midlands
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Midlands Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Midlands

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$623

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $623 in Midlands, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Midlands $623

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,044 in Midlands, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Midlands $1,044

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,465 in Midlands, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Midlands $1,465

Chiang Mai costs about 50% more than Midlands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Midlands are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Midlands 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$5.77 MUR 269

-61.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$38.11 MUR 1,775

-50.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.41 MUR 345

-25.10%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.63 MUR 122

-36.50%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.19 MUR 55.3

-46.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.64 MUR 29.67

-51.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.73 MUR 127

-13.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.86 MUR 227

-24.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.61 MUR 75.1

21.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.73 MUR 33.99

97.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.10 MUR 51.2

20.91%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.57 MUR 119

-11.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$5.38 MUR 251

205.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.27 MUR 292

-55.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.11 MUR 518

-16.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.78 MUR 130

-15.47%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$2.68 MUR 125

-63.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.39 MUR 64.9

15.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.00 MUR 140

-50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.94 MUR 43.60

36.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$1.01 MUR 46.82

8.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.75 MUR 35.07

-5.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.86 MUR 40.07

-43.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.64 MUR 309

-37.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$8.24 MUR 384

112.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.72 MUR 80.0

-6.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.39 MUR 112

16.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$4.30 MUR 200

-73.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$3.27 MUR 152

-83.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$20.93 MUR 975

-88.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.37 MUR 63.7

5.84%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$36.0K MUR 1.7M

-41.48%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$31.3K MUR 1.5M

-13.83%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$44.87 MUR 2,090

38.56%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$10.80 MUR 503

12.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$28.85 MUR 1,344

-30.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.36 MUR 296

2.04%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$125 MUR 5,839

487.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$7,801 MUR 363.4K

89.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$76.9 MUR 3,584

-30.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$73.1 MUR 3,406

-66.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$121 MUR 5,659

-24.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$76.8 MUR 3,575

-6.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Midlands: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Midlands

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Midlands

$217 34.9% 7.2% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Midlands

$157 25.2% 44.3% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Midlands

$85 13.6% 10.5% $9.9

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Midlands

$131 21% 68.3% $53

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Midlands

$21 * 3.3% 66.3% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Midlands

$13 * 2% 74.7% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $38 in Midlands. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $217 in Midlands – so Midlands wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇺 Midlands

🕒 Local time

03:16 3:16 AM

00:16 12:16 AM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

4,546

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MUR = 2.15 USD

100 MUR = 1.92 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 46.58 MUR (100 MUR = 2.15 USD). 1 EUR = 52.21 MUR (100 MUR = 1.92 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Midlands 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Midlands

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 Midlands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 50% more than Midlands, 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 $934 in Midlands. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $38 in Midlands. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Midlands, where all-in costs run around $623, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Midlands it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $623 in Midlands to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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