Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Saint John's

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,811 in Saint John’s, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Saint John's

🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda

$1,811

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Saint John's

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,811 in Saint John’s, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Saint John's $1,811

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,821 in Saint John’s, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Saint John's $2,821

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,831 in Saint John’s, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Saint John's $3,831

Chiang Mai is about 48% cheaper than Saint John’s, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Saint John’s is 34% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.9

$16.46 EC$44.45

-87.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$56.1 EC$152

-66.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$9.45 EC$25.51

-40.74%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.0

$3.68 EC$9.93

-54.89%

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

$0.65 ฿21.80

$1.90 EC$5.14

-65.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.28

$1.19 EC$3.21

-74.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$2.47 EC$6.67

-6.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$4.43 EC$11.96

-17.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.9

$2.24 EC$6.05

-9.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.45

$2.76 EC$7.44

-48.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.90

$1.81 EC$4.89

-23.20%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.8

$6.54 EC$17.67

-63.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$8.69 EC$23.46

90.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.0

$7.97 EC$21.53

-66.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$12.23 EC$33.01

-26.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.8

$6.36 EC$17.19

-62.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.09

$2.50 EC$6.76

-58.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$8.34 EC$22.52

-80.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.5

$8.35 EC$22.55

-81.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.71

$2.81 EC$7.60

-55.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.62

$2.88 EC$7.78

-62.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.67

$2.64 EC$7.11

-71.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.33

$1.59 EC$4.30

-67.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿604

$5.65 EC$15.25

217.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.7

$1.91 EC$5.15

-15.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.1

$3.34 EC$9.03

-15.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,782

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.65

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.63

$1.65 EC$4.44

-10.91%

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

$21.0K ฿708.1K

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

$26.5K ฿893.6K

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

$62.6 ฿2,108

$259 EC$701

-75.89%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$41.21 EC$111

-71.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿684

$82.4 EC$222

-75.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,277

$64.9 EC$175

-41.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$6.12 EC$16.53

6.37%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$188 EC$508

286.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿558.5K

$1,842 EC$4,972

800.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,804

$50.4 EC$136

6.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,046

$74.9 EC$202

20.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,425

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$1,039 EC$2,805

-53.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$678 EC$1,830

-54.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$1,684 EC$4,547

-37.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$1,455 EC$3,927

-54.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$1,366 EC$3,688

-56.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.5

1.27%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Saint John's: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Saint John's

–

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Saint John's

–

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Saint John's

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Saint John's

–

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Saint John's

–

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Saint John's

–

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Saint John's

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $1,039 in Saint John’s. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Saint John’s are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $56 in Saint John’s. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $379 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇦🇬 Saint John's

🕒 Local time

19:38 7:38 PM

08:38 8:38 AM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

21,926 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.331 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.02 XCD (1 XCD = 0.331 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Saint John's 15,510 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Saint John's

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 Saint John's: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint John’s costs about 94% 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 $2,717 in Saint John’s. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $1,039 in Saint John’s.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $56 in Saint John’s. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 60% more in Saint John’s, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,811 in Saint John’s. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $935 versus $1,811 in Saint John’s. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Saint John’s makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.