Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Poipet

For one person, living is cheaper in Poipet: $518 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Poipet
Learn more

Poipet Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Poipet

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Poipet

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $518 in Poipet, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Poipet $518

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $813 in Poipet, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Poipet $813

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,109 in Poipet, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Poipet $1,109

Chiang Mai costs about 81% more than Poipet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Poipet are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Poipet 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$2.57 ៛10.5K

-12.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$20.39 ៛83.2K

-6.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$6.11 ៛24.9K

-9.17%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.67 ៛6,817

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.67 ៛2,754

-4.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.40 ៛1,626

-22.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.03 ៛4,190

129.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.05 ៛8,369

78.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.22 ៛9,043

-12.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.69 ៛6,879

-14.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$0.87 ៛3,546

52.87%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.74 ៛7,120

31.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$15.47 ៛63.1K

6.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.84 ៛11.6K

-2.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.24 ៛41.8K

-9.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$4.28 ៛17.5K

-45.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.27 ៛5,176

-23.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.78 ៛15.4K

-57.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.05 ៛4,269

42.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.28 ៛5,229

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.12 ៛4,566

-1.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.36 ៛5,545

-47.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.80 ៛3,276

-38.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.39 ៛5,677

197.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.78 ៛31.7K

125.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.99 ៛4,042

62.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.30 ៛9,395

20.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$2.01 ៛8,213

-42.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.97 ៛3,966

-45.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$4.92 ៛20.1K

-50.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.26 ៛5,128

15.08%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$25.0K ៛102.0M

-15.75%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$22.5K ៛92.0M

19.48%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$102 ៛416.8K

-39.13%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$5.73 ៛23.4K

112.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$15.50 ៛63.3K

29.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.94 ៛20.2K

31.38%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$289 ៛1.2M

154.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$4,367 ៛17.8M

238.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$25.81 ៛105.3K

106.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$13.13 ៛53.6K

87.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$68.6 ៛279.8K

33.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$44.58 ៛181.9K

61.37%

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 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.2

-39.46%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Poipet: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Poipet

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Poipet

$236 45.7% 0.9% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Poipet

$68 13.2% 37% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Poipet

$123 23.8% 30.6% $29

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Poipet

$73 14% 6.5% $5.1

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Poipet

$6.9 * 1.3% 88.8% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Poipet

$9.9 * 1.9% 80.4% $40

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 $20 in Poipet. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $236 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇭 Poipet

🕒 Local time

23:57 11:57 PM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

98,934

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4,081 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,542 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Poipet 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Poipet

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 Poipet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 81% more than Poipet, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $776 in Poipet. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $518 in Poipet. That’s a gap of about 81%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $20 in Poipet. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $518 in Poipet to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.