Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Quatre Bornes

For one person, living is cheaper in Quatre Bornes: $803 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Quatre Bornes
Learn more

Quatre Bornes Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Quatre Bornes

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$803

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Quatre Bornes

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $803 in Quatre Bornes, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Quatre Bornes $803

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,274 in Quatre Bornes, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Quatre Bornes $1,274

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,746 in Quatre Bornes, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Quatre Bornes $1,746

Chiang Mai costs about 17% more than Quatre Bornes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Quatre Bornes are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Quatre Bornes 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$4.56 MUR 215

-50.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$20.89 MUR 984

-9.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.28 MUR 296

-11.62%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.42 MUR 114

-30.99%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.83 MUR 38.90

-22.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.52 MUR 24.38

-40.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.69 MUR 127

-12.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.45 MUR 163

6.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.24 MUR 58.6

57.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.50 MUR 23.34

188.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.15 MUR 54.0

15.65%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.97 MUR 92.9

15.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$3.02 MUR 143

444.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.71 MUR 175

-25.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.50 MUR 401

9.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.78 MUR 131

-15.47%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$2.70 MUR 127

-64.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.44 MUR 68.0

11.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.05 MUR 144

-50.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.96 MUR 45.26

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.96 MUR 45.39

14.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.75 MUR 35.14

-5.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.90 MUR 42.24

-45.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.84 MUR 275

-29.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$8.33 MUR 393

110.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.69 MUR 79.5

-4.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.32 MUR 109

19.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.77 MUR 36.27

12.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$4.37 MUR 206

-73.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$3.15 MUR 148

-83.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$20.89 MUR 984

-88.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.37 MUR 64.6

5.84%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$19.2K MUR 907.2K

9.41%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$27.3K MUR 1.3M

-1.46%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$31.40 MUR 1,480

97.99%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.50 MUR 495

15.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$28.99 MUR 1,366

-30.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$28.91 MUR 1,362

29.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$8.38 MUR 395

-55.01%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.33 MUR 298

2.53%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$121 MUR 5,701

508.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$7,839 MUR 369.4K

88.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$77.0 MUR 3,629

-30.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$75.7 MUR 3,567

-67.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$119 MUR 5,616

-23.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$77.6 MUR 3,657

-7.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$322 MUR 15.2K

49.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$218 MUR 10.3K

41.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$657 MUR 30.9K

53.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$436 MUR 20.5K

45.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,129 MUR 53.2K

109.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$527 MUR 24.8K

11.97%

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 Quatre Bornes: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Quatre Bornes

$218 27.1% 29.5% $91

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Quatre Bornes

$182 22.7% 22.2% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Quatre Bornes

$157 19.6% 44.7% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Quatre Bornes

$71 8.8% 25% $24

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Quatre Bornes

$110 13.7% 41.9% $33

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Quatre Bornes

$23 * 2.9% 62.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Quatre Bornes

$42 5.2% 17.3% $8.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $322 in Quatre Bornes. 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 12% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $21 in Quatre Bornes. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $182 in Quatre Bornes – so Quatre Bornes wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇺 Quatre Bornes

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

04:13 4:13 AM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

81,773

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.9 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 = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 47.13 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.62 MUR (100 MUR = 1.9 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Quatre Bornes 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Quatre Bornes

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 Quatre Bornes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 17% more than Quatre Bornes, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,204 in Quatre Bornes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quatre Bornes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $322 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $21 in Quatre Bornes. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $803 in Quatre Bornes, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Quatre Bornes – 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 Quatre Bornes. 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.