Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Old Harbour

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,005 in Old Harbour, rent and utilities included – about $830 less a year. The total is higher in Old Harbour despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Old Harbour
Learn more

Old Harbour Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Old Harbour

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,005

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Old Harbour

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,005 in Old Harbour, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Old Harbour $1,005

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,664 in Old Harbour, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Old Harbour $1,664

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,322 in Old Harbour, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Old Harbour $2,322

Chiang Mai is about 7% cheaper than Old Harbour, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Old Harbour are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Old Harbour 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$13.35 JMD 2,109

-83.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$75.0 JMD 11.9K

-74.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.40 JMD 1,326

-33.93%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$5.23 JMD 826

-68.07%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.14 JMD 180

-43.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.73 JMD 115

-57.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.19 JMD 345

7.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.22 JMD 509

13.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$4.24 JMD 670

-54.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$3.83 JMD 605

-62.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.56 JMD 246

-14.74%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$3.47 JMD 549

-34.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$11.44 JMD 1,807

43.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.34 JMD 1,002

-56.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.13 JMD 1,601

-8.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$6.06 JMD 958

-61.22%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$4.00 JMD 632

-75.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$7.38 JMD 1,165

-78.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.01 JMD 475

-50.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$3.23 JMD 510

-60.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$2.60 JMD 411

-57.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$3.02 JMD 478

-76.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.50 JMD 236

-67.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$9.31 JMD 1,470

-55.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$11.26 JMD 1,779

55.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.85 JMD 450

-43.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.93 JMD 621

-29.26%

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

$1.28 JMD 202

-9.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$3.23 JMD 510

-83.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$6.45 JMD 1,020

-62.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.46 JMD 231

-0.68%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$43.9K JMD 6.9M

-52.04%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$32.4K JMD 5.1M

-16.75%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$165 JMD 26.1K

-62.35%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$29.91 JMD 4,725

-59.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$53.8 JMD 8,501

-62.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$13.48 JMD 2,130

-51.85%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$358 JMD 56.6K

105.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$8,285 JMD 1.3M

78.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$23.81 JMD 3,762

124.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$31.92 JMD 5,044

-22.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$78.5 JMD 12.4K

16.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$102 JMD 16.1K

-29.47%

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

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 Old Harbour: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Old Harbour

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Old Harbour

$386 38.4% 64.6% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Old Harbour

$106 10.6% 2.1% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Old Harbour

$249 24.8% 163% $154

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Old Harbour

$220 21.9% 183% $142

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Old Harbour

$17 * 1.7% 71.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Old Harbour

$27 * 2.7% 46.4% $23

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 $75 in Old Harbour. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $386 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇲 Old Harbour

🕒 Local time

20:12 8:12 PM

08:12 8:12 AM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

26,024

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Old Harbour 15,910 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Old Harbour

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 Old Harbour: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Old Harbour costs about 7% 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 $1,507 in Old Harbour. 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 $75 in Old Harbour. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 65% more in Old Harbour, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,005 in Old Harbour. 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 $1,005 in Old Harbour. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.