Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Poudre D'or

For one person, living is cheaper in Poudre D’or: $629 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Poudre D'or
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Poudre D'or Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Poudre D'or

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Poudre D'or

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 Poudre D'or actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $629 in Poudre D’or, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Poudre D'or $629

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,053 in Poudre D’or, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Poudre D'or $1,053

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,476 in Poudre D’or, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Poudre D'or $1,476

Chiang Mai costs about 49% more than Poudre D’or, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Poudre D’or are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Poudre D’or 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$5.80 MUR 270

-61.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$37.84 MUR 1,763

-49.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.39 MUR 344

-24.90%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.62 MUR 122

-36.26%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.18 MUR 54.9

-45.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.64 MUR 29.67

-51.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.67 MUR 125

-11.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.79 MUR 223

-23.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.60 MUR 74.5

21.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.74 MUR 34.32

94.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.11 MUR 51.5

19.82%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.69 MUR 125

-15.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$5.16 MUR 240

218.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.46 MUR 301

-56.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.52 MUR 537

-19.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.80 MUR 130

-16.07%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$2.62 MUR 122

-62.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.45 MUR 67.8

10.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.02 MUR 141

-50.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.96 MUR 44.81

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.95 MUR 44.33

15.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.75 MUR 35.11

-5.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.91 MUR 42.43

-46.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.39 MUR 298

-35.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$8.74 MUR 407

100.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.71 MUR 79.9

-5.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.30 MUR 107

20.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$4.36 MUR 203

-73.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$3.22 MUR 150

-83.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$21.48 MUR 1,001

-88.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.37 MUR 63.8

5.84%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$36.4K MUR 1.7M

-42.12%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$30.8K MUR 1.4M

-12.50%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$45.43 MUR 2,116

36.85%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$10.71 MUR 499

13.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$29.77 MUR 1,387

-32.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.50 MUR 303

-0.15%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$128 MUR 5,949

476.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$7,589 MUR 353.5K

94.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$77.9 MUR 3,628

-31.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$75.7 MUR 3,524

-67.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$121 MUR 5,624

-24.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$78.2 MUR 3,641

-7.97%

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 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.67

-16.49%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Poudre D'or: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Poudre D'or

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Poudre D'or

$221 35.1% 5.7% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Poudre D'or

$159 25.2% 46% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Poudre D'or

$86 13.7% 9.1% $8.5

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Poudre D'or

$130 20.7% 67.8% $53

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Poudre D'or

$20 * 3.3% 66.6% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Poudre D'or

$13 * 2.1% 74.1% $37

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 $38 in Poudre D’or. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $221 in Poudre D’or – so Poudre D’or wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇺 Poudre D'or

🕒 Local time

04:04 4:04 AM

01:04 1:04 AM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,373

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MUR = 2.15 USD

100 MUR = 1.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 46.58 MUR (100 MUR = 2.15 USD). 1 EUR = 52.21 MUR (100 MUR = 1.92 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Poudre D'or 6,240 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Poudre D'or

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 Poudre D'or: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 49% more than Poudre D’or, 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 $944 in Poudre D’or. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $38 in Poudre D’or. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Poudre D’or, where all-in costs run around $629, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Poudre D’or it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $629 in Poudre D’or 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.