Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Pétion-Ville

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,178 in Pétion-Ville, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Pétion-Ville
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Pétion-Ville Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Pétion-Ville

🇭🇹 Haiti

$2,178

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Pétion-Ville

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 Pétion-Ville actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,178 in Pétion-Ville, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Pétion-Ville $2,178

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,589 in Pétion-Ville, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Pétion-Ville $3,589

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,999 in Pétion-Ville, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Pétion-Ville $4,999

Chiang Mai is about 57% cheaper than Pétion-Ville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Chiang Mai sits 30% below the global median, while Pétion-Ville is 61% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$14.74 HTG 1,919

-84.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$90.0 HTG 11.7K

-78.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$11.26 HTG 1,466

-50.36%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$3.74 HTG 486

-54.01%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$3.00 HTG 390

-78.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$1.55 HTG 202

-78.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$7.42 HTG 967

-68.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$9.10 HTG 1,186

-57.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$2.10 HTG 274

-2.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$2.58 HTG 336

-45.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$3.09 HTG 402

-58.58%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$3.71 HTG 483

-39.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$6.91 HTG 900

145.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$6.14 HTG 799

-55.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$8.96 HTG 1,167

4.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$3.91 HTG 509

-38.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$0.88 HTG 114

14.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$0.77 HTG 101

109.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$2.29 HTG 298

-33.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$7.33 HTG 955

-82.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$2.22 HTG 290

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.12 HTG 146

-35.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.01 HTG 132

-48.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$4.63 HTG 603

-6.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$11.61 HTG 1,512

52.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.48 HTG 192

10.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.22 HTG 289

28.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.36 HTG 47.44

136.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$38.51 HTG 5,016

39.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$0.37 HTG 47.57

216.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.40 HTG 51.5

42.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$13.65 HTG 1,777

-82.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.39 HTG 181

4.32%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$34.8K HTG 4.5M

-41.12%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$24.8K HTG 3.2M

6.82%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$166 HTG 21.7K

-62.51%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$44.99 HTG 5,859

-72.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$232 HTG 30.2K

-91.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$15.50 HTG 2,018

-75.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

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

$797 ฿26.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$90.0 HTG 11.7K

-40.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$76.6 HTG 9,975

-67.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$150 HTG 19.5K

-38.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$190 HTG 24.7K

-61.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$1,155 HTG 150.4K

-59.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$925 HTG 120.5K

-67.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$3,263 HTG 425.0K

-71.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$2,301 HTG 299.7K

-76.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$2,525 HTG 328.8K

-24.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$1,842 HTG 239.9K

-21.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$750 HTG 97.6K

-20.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-69.06%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Pétion-Ville: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Pétion-Ville

$925 42.5% 204% $621

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Pétion-Ville

$270 12.4% 13.4% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Pétion-Ville

$228 10.5% 108% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Pétion-Ville

$443 20.3% 368% $348

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Pétion-Ville

$270 12.4% 242% $191

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Pétion-Ville

$42 1.9% 31% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Pétion-Ville

- * 0% 100%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $1,155 in Pétion-Ville. 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 26% higher in Pétion-Ville, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $90.0 in Pétion-Ville. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $270 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇭🇹 Pétion-Ville

🕒 Local time

14:50 2:50 PM

03:50 3:50 AM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

342,400

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Haitian Gourde HTG G

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 HTG = 7.68 USD

1,000 HTG = 6.83 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HTG, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Haitian Gourde exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 130 HTG (1,000 HTG = 7.68 USD). 1 EUR = 146 HTG (1,000 HTG = 6.83 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Pétion-Ville 15,760 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Pétion-Ville

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 Pétion-Ville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pétion-Ville costs about 132% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $3,267 in Pétion-Ville. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 40% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Pétion-Ville, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Pétion-Ville at $2,178. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pétion-Ville it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,178 in Pétion-Ville. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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