Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ramsey

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,410 in Ramsey, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. The total is higher in Ramsey despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Ramsey
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Ramsey Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Ramsey

🇮🇲 Isle of Man

$1,410

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,410 in Ramsey, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Ramsey $1,410

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,283 in Ramsey, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Ramsey $2,283

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,156 in Ramsey, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Ramsey $3,156

Chiang Mai is about 34% cheaper than Ramsey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Ramsey is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$27.84 IMP 20.80

-91.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$121 IMP 90.2

-84.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$12.16 IMP 9.09

-54.36%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$4.99 IMP 3.73

-66.53%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$2.65 IMP 1.98

-75.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$2.11 IMP 1.58

-85.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$6.75 IMP 5.05

-65.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$6.17 IMP 4.61

-40.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.95 IMP 1.46

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$2.45 IMP 1.83

-41.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.34 IMP 1.00

-0.75%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$5.36 IMP 4.01

-57.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$7.93 IMP 5.92

107.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$8.46 IMP 6.32

-67.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$12.65 IMP 9.45

-26.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.00 IMP 2.24

-21.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.86 IMP 1.39

-47.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.93 IMP 2.93

-59.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.65 IMP 2.72

-58.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$3.07 IMP 2.29

-58.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$3.07 IMP 2.29

-64.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.06 IMP 1.54

-65.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$2.75 IMP 2.05

-82.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$22.26 IMP 16.63

-81.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$12.01 IMP 8.97

45.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$4.39 IMP 3.28

-63.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.23 IMP 3.16

-34.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$2.61 IMP 1.95

-66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$5.16 IMP 3.86

-77.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.45 IMP 1.08

-63.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$79.1 IMP 59.1

-96.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.93 IMP 1.44

-24.87%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$43.3K IMP 32.4K

-51.38%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$44.2K IMP 33.0K

-39.02%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$346 IMP 258

-82.02%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$61.3 IMP 45.76

-80.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$72.1 IMP 53.9

-72.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$15.76 IMP 11.77

-58.82%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$1,752 IMP 1,308

-57.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$52.4K IMP 39.1K

-71.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$98.9 IMP 73.9

-46.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$44.72 IMP 33.41

-44.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$110 IMP 82.5

-17.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$71.2 IMP 53.2

0.98%

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 ฿79.8K

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

4.76

17.02%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ramsey: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Ramsey

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Ramsey

$346 24.5% 47.6% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Ramsey

$146 10.4% 34.8% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Ramsey

$479 34% 407% $385

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Ramsey

$384 27.3% 395% $307

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ramsey

$23 * 1.6% 62.8% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ramsey

$32 * 2.2% 37.3% $19

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 $121 in Ramsey. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $346 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇲 Ramsey

🕒 Local time

20:53 8:53 PM

13:53 1:53 PM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

7,800

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Isle of Man Pound IMP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 IMP = 1.34 USD

1 IMP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IMP, 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).

Isle of Man Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 IMP (1 IMP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 IMP (1 IMP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Ramsey 9,150 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ramsey

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 Ramsey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ramsey costs about 51% 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 $2,115 in Ramsey. 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 $121 in Ramsey. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 48% more in Ramsey, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,410 in Ramsey. 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 $1,410 in Ramsey. 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.