Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Palma Soriano Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Palma Soriano

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 15.1% cheaper than Palma Soriano without rent, and 45.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 24.7% cheaper than Palma Soriano without rent, and 17.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Palma Soriano
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.03 ฿64.2
$5.06 CUP 121
-59.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.59 ฿588
$25.04 CUP 601
-25.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.48 ฿237
$5.10 CUP 122
46.67%
Cappuccino
$2.00 ฿63.2
$3.17 CUP 76.1
-36.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 ฿26.81
$1.22 CUP 29.26
-30.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.35 ฿11.13
$0.86 CUP 20.56
-59.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.21 ฿70.0
$2.98 CUP 71.6
-25.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.76 ฿119
$2.42 CUP 58.1
55.37%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Palma Soriano
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 ฿54.4
$2.04 CUP 49.04
-15.69%
White Bread (500g)
$1.63 ฿51.7
$1.43 CUP 34.30
13.99%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.16 ฿36.66
$0.97 CUP 23.34
19.59%
Eggs
$1.98 ฿62.6
$1.23 CUP 29.54
60.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.93 ฿504
$5.83 CUP 140
173.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.17 ฿100
$5.82 CUP 140
-45.53%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿345
$10.83 CUP 260
0.65%
Apples (1kg)
$2.65 ฿83.7
$1.90 CUP 45.53
39.47%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 ฿38.70
$1.17 CUP 28.13
4.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.70 ฿53.7
$1.47 CUP 35.27
15.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.59 ฿50.3
$1.48 CUP 35.48
7.43%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 ฿41.90
$0.97 CUP 23.38
36.08%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 ฿36.99
$1.03 CUP 24.68
13.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 ฿21.46
$0.98 CUP 23.50
-30.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ฿17.64
$1.07 CUP 25.64
-47.66%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.51 ฿143
$3.09 CUP 74.1
45.95%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.07 ฿604
$10.14 CUP 243
88.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿56.0
$2.98 CUP 71.5
-40.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 ฿101
$1.95 CUP 46.77
63.08%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Palma Soriano
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.96 ฿30.47
$0.26 CUP 6.29
269.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.90 ฿598
$29.82 CUP 716
-36.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 ฿42.98
$1.85 CUP 44.29
-26.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 ฿42.80
$0.36 CUP 8.64
275.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.03 ฿254
$13.00 CUP 312
-38.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 ฿39.34
$1.18 CUP 28.40
5.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ฿669.8K
$64.9K CUP 1.6M
-67.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K ฿688.5K
$47.0K CUP 1.1M
-53.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Palma Soriano
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$71.2 ฿2,255
$54.0 CUP 1,297
31.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.09 ฿446
$10.17 CUP 244
38.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.47 ฿553
$150 CUP 3,597
-88.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Palma Soriano
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.07 ฿1,332
$39.96 CUP 959
5.28%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.88 ฿218
$10.19 CUP 245
-32.48%
Cinema Ticket
$5.94 ฿188
$0.98 CUP 23.59
506.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Palma Soriano
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$307 ฿9,728
$99.2 CUP 2,380
209.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿468.2K
$11.9K CUP 285.6K
24.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Palma Soriano
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.7 ฿1,762
$66.3 CUP 1,591
-16.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.79 ฿848
$34.60 CUP 831
-22.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.2 ฿2,634
$84.2 CUP 2,022
-1.21%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.1 ฿2,219
$111 CUP 2,674
-37.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Palma Soriano
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$427 ฿13.5K
$874 CUP 21.0K
-51.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$237 ฿7,504
$813 CUP 19.5K
-70.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$802 ฿25.4K
$741 CUP 17.8K
8.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$503 ฿15.9K
$649 CUP 15.6K
-22.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,061 ฿65.2K
$315 CUP 7,556
554.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,533 ฿48.5K
$331 CUP 7,947
362.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Palma Soriano
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$654 ฿20.7K
$39.83 CUP 956
1541.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
8.33
-39.98%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

Last update for Palma Soriano: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities