Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Negril

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Negril: $936 and $927 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Negril
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Negril Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Negril

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$927

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $927 in Negril, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Negril $927

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,478 in Negril, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Negril $1,478

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,029 in Negril, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Negril $2,029

Chiang Mai costs about 1% more than Negril, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Negril are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Negril 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$9.68 JMD 1,526

-76.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$49.26 JMD 7,767

-61.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$8.05 JMD 1,269

-31.06%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.05 JMD 323

-18.54%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.15 JMD 181

-44.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.74 JMD 117

-58.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.16 JMD 341

9.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.19 JMD 503

14.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$4.02 JMD 634

-51.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$3.37 JMD 532

-57.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.58 JMD 249

-15.82%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.51 JMD 554

-35.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$11.25 JMD 1,773

46.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$6.33 JMD 998

-56.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.19 JMD 1,606

-8.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$6.06 JMD 956

-61.22%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$3.96 JMD 624

-75.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$7.47 JMD 1,177

-78.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.99 JMD 471

-49.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$3.15 JMD 497

-59.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$2.58 JMD 406

-57.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$2.99 JMD 472

-76.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.44 JMD 227

-65.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$9.33 JMD 1,471

-55.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$11.27 JMD 1,776

55.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.92 JMD 460

-44.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.94 JMD 622

-29.44%

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

$1.22 JMD 193

-4.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$3.23 JMD 509

-83.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.36 JMD 1,002

-61.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.47 JMD 232

-1.36%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$43.7K JMD 6.9M

-51.82%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$32.6K JMD 5.1M

-17.40%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$166 JMD 26.2K

-62.61%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$29.95 JMD 4,722

-59.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$51.9 JMD 8,179

-61.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$13.26 JMD 2,090

-51.06%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$362 JMD 57.0K

103.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$8,121 JMD 1.3M

81.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$23.75 JMD 3,745

124.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$30.90 JMD 4,873

-20.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$76.9 JMD 12.1K

18.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$104 JMD 16.4K

-30.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,005 JMD 158.5K

-52.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.45

-41.06%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Negril: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Negril

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Negril

$378 40.8% 61.3% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Negril

$106 11.4% 2.5% $2.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Negril

$248 26.8% 163% $154

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Negril

$151 16.3% 94.5% $73

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Negril

$17 * 1.9% 71.7% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Negril

$27 * 2.9% 47.3% $24

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 $1,005 in Negril. 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 in Chiang Mai versus $49 in Negril. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $378 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇲 Negril

🕒 Local time

01:04 1:04 AM

13:04 1:04 PM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

13,779

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, 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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Negril 15,880 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Negril

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 Negril: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 1% more than Negril, 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 $1,390 in Negril. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,005 in Negril.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $49 in Negril. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 38% 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 $927 in Negril, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $927 in Negril to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.