Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Poipet Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Poipet

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $950 per month in Chiang Mai vs $523 in Poipet, rent included.

A couple spends around $1,430 per month in Chiang Mai vs $803 in Poipet, rent included.

A family of three spends $1,909 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,084 in Poipet, rent included.

Chiang Mai costs about 82% more than Poipet, driven mainly by Getting Around.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.10 ฿69.3

$2.52 ៛10.2K

-16.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.84 ฿656

$20.15 ៛81.6K

-1.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.79 ฿191

$5.86 ៛23.7K

-1.19%

Cappuccino

$1.83 ฿60.4

$1.65 ៛6,668

10.91%

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

$0.78 ฿25.61

$0.70 ៛2,841

11.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.37

$0.46 ៛1,853

-32.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 ฿77.2

$1.03 ៛4,159

127.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 ฿122

$2.01 ៛8,148

84.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 ฿67.1

$2.24 ៛9,070

-9.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ฿52.7

$1.75 ៛7,073

-8.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 ฿46.75

$1.03 ៛4,171

37.86%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿71.9

$1.65 ៛6,699

32.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.91 ฿526

$14.10 ៛57.1K

12.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.07 ฿102

$2.61 ៛10.6K

17.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.87 ฿326

$9.93 ៛40.2K

-0.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 ฿86.8

$4.33 ៛17.5K

-39.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 ฿36.19

$1.22 ៛4,935

-9.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿53.8

$3.86 ៛15.6K

-57.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿50.6

$1.04 ៛4,215

47.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.13

$1.33 ៛5,368

-6.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 ฿37.37

$1.11 ៛4,497

1.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ฿24.38

$1.31 ៛5,321

-43.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.48

$0.81 ៛3,286

-38.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 ฿141

$1.52 ៛6,139

181.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.97 ฿594

$7.49 ៛30.3K

139.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ฿56.1

$0.98 ៛3,973

73.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 ฿95.7

$2.20 ៛8,919

31.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 ฿31.13

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.3 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 ฿40.76

$2.02 ៛8,169

-39.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.66

$1.02 ៛4,142

-48.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.40 ฿79.3

$4.94 ៛20.0K

-51.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.55

$1.25 ៛5,075

15.20%

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

$21.2K ฿700.2K

$25.2K ៛102.2M

-16.00%

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

$27.3K ฿902.1K

$22.1K ៛89.4M

23.62%

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

$64.9 ฿2,145

$106 ៛430.1K

-38.86%

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

$13.35 ฿441

$5.74 ៛23.3K

132.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.83 ฿688

$14.31 ៛58.0K

45.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.42 ฿1,336

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.95 ฿131

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿222

$4.91 ៛19.9K

36.66%

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

$787 ฿26.0K

$282 ៛1.1M

179.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K ฿499.6K

$4,506 ៛18.2M

235.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 ฿1,858

$25.95 ៛105.1K

116.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.95 ฿824

$13.14 ៛53.2K

89.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.7 ฿3,063

$69.7 ៛282.1K

33.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 ฿2,482

$45.25 ៛183.3K

66.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$484 ฿16.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 ฿9,491

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$910 ฿30.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$531 ฿17.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,980 ฿65.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,451 ฿47.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$605 ฿20.0K

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: September 7, 2026

Last update for Poipet: September 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $20.00 in Poipet. Groceries tell a different story – $242 in Chiang Mai vs $231 in Poipet – so Poipet wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

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 82% more than Poipet, with the gap driven mainly by Getting Around. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai and $784 in Poipet. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $20.00 in Poipet. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Poipet, where all-in costs run around $523, than in Chiang Mai at $950. In Poipet it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Poipet costs $523 versus $950 in Chiang Mai. 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 Poipet. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.