Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Prachin Buri

For one person, living is cheaper in Prachin Buri: $894 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $490 less a year. The total is higher in Chiang Mai despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Prachin Buri
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Prachin Buri Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Prachin Buri

🇹🇭 Thailand

$894

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Prachin Buri

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $894 in Prachin Buri, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Prachin Buri $894

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,397 in Prachin Buri, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Prachin Buri $1,397

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,901 in Prachin Buri, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Prachin Buri $1,901

Chiang Mai costs about 5% more than Prachin Buri, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Prachin Buri are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Prachin Buri 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$2.99 ฿101

-28.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$26.35 ฿886

-29.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$8.74 ฿294

-35.93%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.95 ฿65.5

-14.87%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$0.71 ฿23.73

-8.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.25 ฿8.37

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$2.41 ฿81.1

-3.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.63 ฿88.5

39.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.39 ฿46.81

45.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$1.18 ฿39.55

19.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$0.94 ฿31.53

47.87%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$1.57 ฿52.9

50.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$10.58 ฿356

56.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$2.50 ฿84.0

6.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$10.15 ฿341

-11.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$3.51 ฿118

-31.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$0.73 ฿24.40

42.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$1.86 ฿62.4

-10.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.05 ฿35.38

48.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$1.13 ฿37.92

9.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$1.07 ฿36.05

1.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$1.25 ฿42.18

-39.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.34 ฿11.53

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$4.26 ฿143

-3.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$11.79 ฿396

52.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$1.66 ฿55.9

-2.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$2.88 ฿96.8

-2.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$0.74 ฿24.90

25.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$1.07 ฿35.97

10.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$1.08 ฿36.19

-84.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$3.58 ฿120

-49.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$1.03 ฿34.58

42.72%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$45.5K ฿1.5M

-53.86%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$26.7K ฿898.0K

-0.73%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$91.5 ฿3,075

-31.61%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$11.57 ฿389

0.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$9.51 ฿320

113.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$46.58 ฿1,566

-18.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$15.17 ฿510

-75.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$7.75 ฿261

-16.00%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$624 ฿21.0K

16.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$20.7K ฿695.2K

-19.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$50.8 ฿1,709

5.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$29.29 ฿985

-15.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$94.9 ฿3,191

-4.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$74.9 ฿2,517

-3.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$428 ฿14.4K

12.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$305 ฿10.3K

1.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$1,235 ฿41.5K

-14.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$608 ฿20.4K

8.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$1,930 ฿64.9K

25.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$1,764 ฿59.3K

-8.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$440 ฿14.8K

35.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.96

-6.54%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Prachin Buri: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Prachin Buri

$305 34.2% 1.4% $4.4

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Prachin Buri

$197 22.1% 16.6% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Prachin Buri

$112 12.6% 3.8% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Prachin Buri

$113 12.6% 19.1% $18

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Prachin Buri

$95 10.6% 23.6% $18

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Prachin Buri

$9.4 * 1.1% 84% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Prachin Buri

$62 7% 22% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $428 in Prachin Buri. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 35% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $26 in Prachin Buri. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $197 in Prachin Buri – so Prachin Buri wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Prachin Buri

🕒 Local time

20:10 8:10 PM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

19,910

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Prachin Buri 580 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Prachin Buri

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 Prachin Buri: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 5% more than Prachin Buri, 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 $1,341 in Prachin Buri. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Prachin Buri, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $428 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $26 in Prachin Buri. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $894 in Prachin Buri. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Prachin Buri – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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