Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Portmore

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,250 in Portmore, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Portmore
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Portmore Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Portmore

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,250

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,250 in Portmore, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Portmore $1,250

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,081 in Portmore, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Portmore $2,081

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,912 in Portmore, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Portmore $2,912

Chiang Mai is about 25% cheaper than Portmore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Portmore are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Portmore 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$10.11 JMD 1,598

-77.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$63.1 JMD 9,975

-69.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.99 JMD 1,262

-30.54%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$5.27 JMD 833

-68.31%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.93 JMD 147

-31.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.61 JMD 96.6

-49.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.18 JMD 345

8.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.18 JMD 345

67.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$3.18 JMD 502

-38.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$3.64 JMD 575

-60.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.03 JMD 163

29.13%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.44 JMD 544

-33.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$11.29 JMD 1,784

45.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$6.22 JMD 982

-55.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.49 JMD 1,499

-1.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$5.88 JMD 929

-60.03%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$3.94 JMD 622

-75.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.01 JMD 476

-46.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.02 JMD 477

-50.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$3.22 JMD 509

-60.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$2.57 JMD 406

-57.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.55 JMD 245

-54.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$1.25 JMD 197

-60.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$9.49 JMD 1,499

-56.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$11.46 JMD 1,811

52.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.87 JMD 454

-43.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.16 JMD 342

28.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$2.25 JMD 355

-61.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$50.1 JMD 7,917

7.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.92 JMD 145

26.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$3.13 JMD 494

-83.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.44 JMD 1,017

-62.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.26 JMD 200

15.08%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$44.3K JMD 7.0M

-52.50%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$32.7K JMD 5.2M

-17.53%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$160 JMD 25.2K

-61.07%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$28.89 JMD 4,564

-57.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$52.8 JMD 8,346

-61.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$58.7 JMD 9,273

-36.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$13.47 JMD 2,129

-51.82%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$281 JMD 44.4K

162.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$3,157 JMD 498.8K

367.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$23.28 JMD 3,677

129.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$31.19 JMD 4,928

-21.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$77.0 JMD 12.2K

18.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$95.9 JMD 15.2K

-25.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$315 JMD 49.7K

53.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$218 JMD 34.4K

41.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$667 JMD 105.3K

50.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$605 JMD 95.5K

4.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$7,655 JMD 1.2M

-69.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$5,857 JMD 925.3K

-72.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,280 JMD 202.3K

-53.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.45

-41.06%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Portmore: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Portmore

$218 17.4% 29.4% $91

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Portmore

$337 27% 43.9% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Portmore

$102 8.2% 5.8% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Portmore

$241 19.3% 156% $147

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Portmore

$190 15.2% 144% $112

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Portmore

$76 6.1% 23.3% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Portmore

$86 6.9% 70.3% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $315 in Portmore. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Portmore are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $63 in Portmore. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $337 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇲 Portmore

🕒 Local time

20:11 8:11 PM

08:11 8:11 AM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

170,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JMD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.67 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Portmore 15,900 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Portmore

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 Portmore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portmore costs about 34% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,875 in Portmore. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Portmore, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $315 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $281 in Portmore. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 44% more in Portmore, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,250 in Portmore. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,250 in Portmore. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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