Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and New Taipei City

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,185 in New Taipei City, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in New Taipei City
Learn more

New Taipei City Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

New Taipei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,185

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in New Taipei City

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 New Taipei City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,185 in New Taipei City, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
New Taipei City $1,185

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,998 in New Taipei City, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
New Taipei City $1,998

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,810 in New Taipei City, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
New Taipei City $2,810

Chiang Mai is about 21% cheaper than New Taipei City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and New Taipei City are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, New Taipei City 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$4.67 NT$152

-52.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$30.83 NT$1,005

-38.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.18 NT$169

7.14%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.31 NT$75.4

-27.71%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.82 NT$26.80

-21.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.53 NT$17.19

-41.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.58 NT$51.7

49.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.43 NT$79.3

50.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$3.13 NT$102

-37.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.85 NT$60.4

-22.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$2.13 NT$69.6

-37.56%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.15 NT$70.1

6.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$24.36 NT$794

-32.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$10.65 NT$347

-73.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$18.90 NT$616

-50.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$4.01 NT$131

-41.40%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$2.49 NT$81.2

-61.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.76 NT$89.9

-42.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.01 NT$131

-62.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$3.96 NT$129

-67.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$2.08 NT$67.8

-47.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.59 NT$51.9

-55.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$1.01 NT$32.93

-51.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.30 NT$140

-3.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$9.16 NT$299

91.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.36 NT$44.40

18.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.28 NT$74.3

21.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.63 NT$20.66

38.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$37.16 NT$1,212

45.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$2.66 NT$86.7

-56.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.94 NT$30.71

-43.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$9.35 NT$305

-74.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.99 NT$32.28

46.46%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$33.2K NT$1.1M

-36.50%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$23.6K NT$768.0K

14.38%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$112 NT$3,650

-44.46%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$16.63 NT$542

-26.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$23.01 NT$750

-12.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$37.65 NT$1,227

-0.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$7.72 NT$252

-51.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.65 NT$347

-39.06%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$634 NT$20.7K

16.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$21.0K NT$683.8K

-29.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$35.02 NT$1,142

52.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$31.03 NT$1,012

-20.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$89.3 NT$2,910

2.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$98.2 NT$3,202

-26.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$613 NT$20.0K

-21.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$335 NT$10.9K

-7.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,377 NT$44.9K

-26.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$920 NT$30.0K

-31.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$10.2K NT$331.8K

-76.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$5,980 NT$195.0K

-73.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,359 NT$44.3K

-56.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.81

98.22%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for New Taipei City: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

New Taipei City

$335 28.2% 8.3% $26

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

New Taipei City

$380 32.1% 62.2% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

New Taipei City

$114 9.6% 5% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

New Taipei City

$152 12.8% 60.5% $57

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

New Taipei City

$99 8.3% 27.4% $21

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

New Taipei City

$47 4% 23.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

New Taipei City

$59 5% 17.3% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $613 in New Taipei City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in New Taipei City are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $31 in New Taipei City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $380 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇼 New Taipei City

🕒 Local time

21:42 9:42 PM

22:42 10:42 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

4,004,367

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.39 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai New Taipei City 2,400 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
New Taipei City

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 New Taipei City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Taipei City costs about 27% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,778 in New Taipei City. 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 $613 in New Taipei City.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $634 in New Taipei City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 62% more in New Taipei City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,185 in New Taipei City. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,185 in New Taipei City. 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.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, New Taipei City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.