Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nha Trang

For one person, living is cheaper in Nha Trang: $679 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Nha Trang
Learn more

Nha Trang Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Nha Trang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$679

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Nha Trang

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $679 in Nha Trang, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Nha Trang $679

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,127 in Nha Trang, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Nha Trang $1,127

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,575 in Nha Trang, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Nha Trang $1,575

Chiang Mai costs about 38% more than Nha Trang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chiang Mai and Nha Trang are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Nha Trang 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.65 ₫68.3K

-15.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$23.30 ₫601.1K

-18.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.59 ₫118.4K

20.92%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.70 ₫43.7K

-1.76%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.37 ₫9,525

72.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.21 ₫5,409

47.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$0.63 ₫16.3K

274.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.22 ₫31.4K

200.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.48 ₫38.2K

31.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.44 ₫11.5K

227.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.01 ₫26.0K

31.68%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.44 ₫37.2K

58.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$11.91 ₫307.4K

38.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.02 ₫78.0K

-7.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.14 ₫287.5K

-16.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.98 ₫51.2K

18.69%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$0.82 ₫21.2K

18.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.07 ₫27.6K

49.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.19 ₫30.7K

26.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.76 ₫19.7K

68.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.67 ₫17.4K

64.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.75 ₫19.3K

-5.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.42 ₫10.8K

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.51 ₫38.9K

174.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$11.55 ₫298.1K

51.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.57 ₫14.8K

182.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.80 ₫46.5K

54.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.30 ₫7,630

190.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.61 ₫15.7K

90.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.55 ₫14.2K

-3.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$0.92 ₫23.7K

57.61%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$31.1K ₫801.9M

-32.24%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$27.6K ₫713.2M

-2.54%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$75.8 ₫2.0M

-17.97%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$6.60 ₫170.3K

84.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$9.16 ₫236.5K

119.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$21.95 ₫566.2K

69.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$18.03 ₫465.1K

-79.09%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$1.95 ₫50.4K

232.82%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$214 ₫5.5M

244.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$3,930 ₫101.4M

275.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$41.01 ₫1.1M

30.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$48.97 ₫1.3M

86.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$409 ₫10.6M

17.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$274 ₫7.1M

12.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$762 ₫19.7M

32.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$653 ₫16.8M

-2.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$2,795 ₫72.1M

-15.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,517 ₫39.1M

4.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$301 ₫7.8M

95.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nha Trang: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Nha Trang

$274 40.3% 11.4% $35

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Nha Trang

$180 26.5% 23.4% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Nha Trang

$40 * 6% 62.7% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Nha Trang

$92 13.5% 3.1% $2.9

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Nha Trang

$63 9.3% 18.6% $14

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Nha Trang

$4.6 * 0.7% 92.6% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Nha Trang

$26 3.8% 48.6% $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 $409 in Nha Trang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 96% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $23 in Nha Trang. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $180 in Nha Trang – so Nha Trang wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇻🇳 Nha Trang

🕒 Local time

07:11 7:11 AM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

579,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 25,802 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,810 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Nha Trang 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Nha Trang

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 Nha Trang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 38% more than Nha Trang, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $1,019 in Nha Trang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nha Trang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $409 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

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

Groceries cost about 30% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $679 in Nha Trang, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nha Trang costs $679 versus $936 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Nha Trang. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.