Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and New Caledonia

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $2,371 in New Caledonia, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$906
/mo nomad
🇳🇨 New Caledonia
$2,371
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 56% cheaper than New Caledonia without rent, and 61.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 65.7% cheaper than New Caledonia without rent, and 63.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
New Caledonia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.13 ฿71.7
$21.10 CFPF 2,245
-89.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.40 ฿652
$115 CFPF 12.2K
-83.09%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.47 ฿184
$14.18 CFPF 1,509
-61.42%
Cappuccino
$1.68 ฿56.7
$4.63 CFPF 493
-63.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 ฿22.19
$1.93 CFPF 205
-65.80%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 ฿11.56
$1.28 CFPF 136
-73.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.42 ฿81.3
$9.42 CFPF 1,002
-74.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.73 ฿126
$7.46 CFPF 794
-50.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
New Caledonia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.06 ฿69.2
$1.23 CFPF 131
67.48%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ฿48.98
$3.52 CFPF 374
-58.52%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.35 ฿45.27
$2.15 CFPF 229
-37.21%
Eggs
$2.27 ฿76.3
$6.16 CFPF 656
-63.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.31 ฿548
$30.13 CFPF 3,206
-45.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.70 ฿90.7
$28.52 CFPF 3,034
-90.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.20 ฿309
$28.26 CFPF 3,007
-67.45%
Apples (1kg)
$2.39 ฿80.5
$4.59 CFPF 489
-47.93%
Banana (1kg)
$1.04 ฿34.80
$7.15 CFPF 761
-85.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$5.96 CFPF 635
-73.15%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.44 ฿48.57
$8.04 CFPF 856
-82.09%
Potato (1kg)
$1.30 ฿43.77
$5.39 CFPF 573
-75.88%
Onion (1kg)
$1.11 ฿37.45
$3.82 CFPF 407
-70.94%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.70 ฿23.65
$4.02 CFPF 428
-82.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿17.06
$1.49 CFPF 159
-65.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.13 ฿139
$18.96 CFPF 2,018
-78.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.78 ฿598
$15.35 CFPF 1,633
15.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.63 ฿54.9
$5.57 CFPF 592
-70.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.87 ฿96.4
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
New Caledonia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.86 ฿28.88
$4.68 CFPF 498
-81.62%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.2 ฿1,787
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.22 ฿40.99
$7.23 CFPF 769
-83.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.56 ฿18.89
$1.11 CFPF 119
-49.55%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.31 ฿77.8
$21.55 CFPF 2,293
-89.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.50 ฿50.4
$1.57 CFPF 167
-4.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.9K ฿701.2K
$32.1K CFPF 3.4M
-34.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿898.8K
$37.8K CFPF 4.0M
-29.21%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
New Caledonia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$61.3 ฿2,059
$192 CFPF 20.4K
-68.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.50 ฿420
$44.12 CFPF 4,695
-71.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.36 ฿685
$52.5 CFPF 5,583
-61.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
New Caledonia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.94 ฿1,275
$51.2 CFPF 5,445
-25.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
$8.53 CFPF 907
-55.80%
Cinema Ticket
$6.60 ฿222
$14.07 CFPF 1,497
-53.09%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
New Caledonia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$774 ฿26.0K
$767 CFPF 81.6K
0.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.4K ฿485.3K
$9,298 CFPF 989.3K
55.24%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
New Caledonia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.8 ฿1,842
$112 CFPF 12.0K
-51.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.26 ฿849
$64.6 CFPF 6,868
-60.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.6 ฿3,045
$94.9 CFPF 10.1K
-4.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.3 ฿2,463
$246 CFPF 26.2K
-70.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
New Caledonia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$459 ฿15.4K
$719 CFPF 76.5K
-36.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$294 ฿9,877
$768 CFPF 81.7K
-61.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$919 ฿30.9K
$1,554 CFPF 165.3K
-40.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$552 ฿18.6K
$1,336 CFPF 142.2K
-58.71%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,917 ฿64.5K
$4,795 CFPF 510.2K
-60.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,445 ฿48.6K
$3,384 CFPF 360.0K
-57.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
New Caledonia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$592 ฿19.9K
$2,785 CFPF 296.3K
-78.73%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
3.13
77.96%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Last update for New Caledonia: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$294
New Caledonia
$768 161% $474
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$236
New Caledonia
$645 * 173% $409
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$110
New Caledonia
$233 112% $123
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
New Caledonia
$288 206% $194
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$77
New Caledonia
$342 342% $265
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
New Caledonia
$32 * 48% $29
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$51
New Caledonia
$79 55.1% $28

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

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇳🇨 New Caledonia
🕒 Local time
14:51 2:51 PM
18:51 6:51 PM
4 h ahead of Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
278,500
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

XPF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.71 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

CFP Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 106 XPF (1,000 XPF = 9.4 USD). 1 EUR = 119 XPF (1,000 XPF = 8.38 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai New Caledonia 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • New Caledonia

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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