Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Samut Sakhon

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Samut Sakhon: $935 and $935 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Samut Sakhon
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Samut Sakhon Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Samut Sakhon

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Samut Sakhon

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $935 in Samut Sakhon, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Samut Sakhon $935

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,504 in Samut Sakhon, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Samut Sakhon $1,504

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,074 in Samut Sakhon, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Samut Sakhon $2,074

Chiang Mai and Samut Sakhon have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Chiang Mai and Samut Sakhon are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Samut Sakhon 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$1.74 ฿58.7

22.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$17.65 ฿595

5.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$5.84 ฿197

-4.11%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.18 ฿39.72

40.68%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$0.37 ฿12.62

75.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.27 ฿9.15

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.90 ฿64.0

22.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.70 ฿90.9

35.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.57 ฿52.8

28.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$1.41 ฿47.67

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$1.40 ฿47.24

-0.71%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$2.22 ฿75.0

6.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$15.45 ฿521

6.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$2.53 ฿85.3

5.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$10.14 ฿342

-11.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$3.54 ฿119

-32.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$1.20 ฿40.35

-13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.85 ฿62.3

-10.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.87 ฿63.1

-16.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$1.23 ฿41.59

0.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$1.04 ฿35.13

4.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$1.22 ฿41.18

-37.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.43 ฿14.44

18.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$4.22 ฿142

-2.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$18.14 ฿612

-1.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.74 ฿58.5

-6.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$2.95 ฿99.5

-4.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$0.39 ฿13.07

138.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$1.05 ฿35.49

12.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$1.12 ฿37.84

-84.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$3.62 ฿122

-50.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$1.17 ฿39.56

25.64%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$44.9K ฿1.5M

-53.23%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$27.0K ฿911.0K

-1.83%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$93.8 ฿3,163

-33.28%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$11.33 ฿382

2.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$19.04 ฿642

6.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$50.3 ฿1,696

-24.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$14.99 ฿506

-75.32%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$7.72 ฿260

-15.67%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$619 ฿20.9K

17.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$21.3K ฿718.2K

-22.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$49.60 ฿1,673

7.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$29.66 ฿1,000

-16.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$93.1 ฿3,140

-2.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$76.5 ฿2,580

-5.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$509 ฿17.2K

-5.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$320 ฿10.8K

-3.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$1,158 ฿39.1K

-8.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$776 ฿26.2K

-15.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$2,033 ฿68.6K

18.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$1,580 ฿53.3K

1.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

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 Samut Sakhon: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Samut Sakhon

$320 34.2% 3.2% $9.8

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Samut Sakhon

$242 25.9% 2.3% $5.4

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Samut Sakhon

$112 12% 3.4% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Samut Sakhon

$124 13.3% 31.4% $30

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Samut Sakhon

$63 6.7% 17.7% $14

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Samut Sakhon

$8.2 * 0.9% 86% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Samut Sakhon

$66 7% 29.2% $15

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 $509 in Samut Sakhon. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $18 in Samut Sakhon. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $242 in Samut Sakhon – so Chiang Mai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Samut Sakhon

🕒 Local time

18:23 6:23 PM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

67,515

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Samut Sakhon 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Samut Sakhon

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 Samut Sakhon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,402 in Samut Sakhon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $481 in Chiang Mai and $509 in Samut Sakhon. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $18 in Samut Sakhon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $619 in Samut Sakhon. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Samut Sakhon to $935 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.