Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Phan Thiet

For one person, living is cheaper in Phan Thiet: $658 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Phan Thiet
Learn more

Phan Thiet Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Phan Thiet

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$658

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Phan Thiet

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 Phan Thiet actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $658 in Phan Thiet, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Phan Thiet $658

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,085 in Phan Thiet, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Phan Thiet $1,085

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,512 in Phan Thiet, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Phan Thiet $1,512

Chiang Mai costs about 42% more than Phan Thiet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Phan Thiet are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Phan Thiet 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$2.63 ₫68.0K

-14.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$23.07 ₫596.4K

-17.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.60 ₫118.8K

20.65%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$0.61 ₫15.7K

173.77%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.40 ₫10.3K

60.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.21 ₫5,419

47.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$0.61 ₫15.7K

286.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$1.22 ₫31.6K

200.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.34 ₫34.6K

45.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.37 ₫9,630

289.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.96 ₫24.8K

38.54%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.13 ₫29.2K

101.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$12.32 ₫318.4K

33.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.14 ₫81.2K

-11.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.35 ₫215.9K

11.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.95 ₫50.4K

20.51%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$0.80 ₫20.7K

21.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.08 ₫27.9K

48.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.24 ₫32.1K

20.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.81 ₫21.0K

58.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.72 ₫18.7K

52.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.60 ₫15.4K

18.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.55 ₫14.2K

-10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.57 ₫40.7K

163.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$9.75 ₫252.1K

79.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$0.41 ₫10.5K

292.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.53 ₫39.6K

81.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.29 ₫7,368

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$6.35 ₫164.3K

751.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$0.59 ₫15.3K

96.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.60 ₫15.4K

-11.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$2.17 ₫56.2K

11.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.92 ₫23.7K

57.61%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$31.1K ₫803.4M

-32.24%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$28.2K ₫728.1M

-4.34%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$43.05 ₫1.1M

44.41%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$6.41 ₫165.8K

89.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$9.43 ₫243.8K

113.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$20.55 ₫531.2K

81.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$7.78 ₫201.1K

-51.54%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$1.88 ₫48.6K

245.21%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$213 ₫5.5M

246.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$3,840 ₫99.3M

284.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$22.83 ₫590.1K

133.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$23.47 ₫606.6K

4.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$38.53 ₫996.2K

137.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$59.1 ₫1.5M

21.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$479 ₫12.4M

0.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$284 ₫7.3M

8.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$810 ₫20.9M

24.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$629 ₫16.3M

0.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$2,217 ₫57.3M

6.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,316 ₫34.0M

20.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.28

-32.73%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Phan Thiet: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Phan Thiet

$284 43.1% 8.2% $25

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Phan Thiet

$166 25.2% 29.3% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Phan Thiet

$65 9.8% 40.4% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Phan Thiet

$59 9% 37.6% $36

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Phan Thiet

$50 7.6% 35.5% $28

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Phan Thiet

$11 1.7% 82% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Phan Thiet

$24 3.7% 51.7% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $479 in Phan Thiet. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $23 in Phan Thiet. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $166 in Phan Thiet – so Phan Thiet wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇻🇳 Phan Thiet

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

255,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.87 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 25,852 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,779 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Phan Thiet 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Phan Thiet

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 Phan Thiet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 42% more than Phan Thiet, 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 $987 in Phan Thiet. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $479 in Phan Thiet. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $213 in Phan Thiet. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% 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 $658 in Phan Thiet, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $658 in Phan Thiet to $936 in Chiang Mai. 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.