Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Seki

For one person, living is cheaper in Seki: $750 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Seki
Learn more

Seki Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Seki

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

$750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $750 in Seki, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Seki $750

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,240 in Seki, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Seki $1,240

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,730 in Seki, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Seki $1,730

Chiang Mai costs about 25% more than Seki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Seki are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Seki 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$10.68 ₼18.14

-80.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$39.05 ₼66.4

-52.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$7.94 ₼13.50

-29.47%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$3.61 ₼6.14

-54.02%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$1.05 ₼1.78

-38.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.54 ₼0.92

-44.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.71 ₼2.91

35.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$3.01 ₼5.12

21.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.53 ₼2.60

32.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$0.52 ₼0.89

171.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$2.46 ₼4.18

-43.50%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$2.03 ₼3.45

16.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$5.28 ₼8.98

212.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$5.28 ₼8.97

-49.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$11.70 ₼19.88

-22.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$1.40 ₼2.38

71.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$1.89 ₼3.20

-44.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.66 ₼2.83

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.82 ₼3.10

-14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$0.72 ₼1.23

72.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$0.61 ₼1.03

78.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.72 ₼1.23

5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.78 ₼1.33

-34.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.96 ₼5.03

39.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$8.65 ₼14.70

107.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.56 ₼2.65

3.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$2.80 ₼4.77

0.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$2.10 ₼3.57

-43.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$0.61 ₼1.04

-72.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$3.51 ₼5.97

-48.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$0.70 ₼1.20

110.00%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$23.3K ₼39.6K

-9.74%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$22.7K ₼38.6K

16.83%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$23.88 ₼40.58

161.98%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$9.00 ₼15.29

28.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$11.36 ₼19.30

78.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$17.31 ₼29.41

118.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$5.63 ₼9.57

15.63%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$329 ₼559

120.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$11.1K ₼18.8K

49.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$65.1 ₼111

-17.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$55.1 ₼93.7

-55.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$122 ₼207

-25.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$113 ₼192

-36.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$220 ₼374

118.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$143 ₼243

117.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$445 ₼757

137.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$255 ₼433

158.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$650 ₼1,105

271.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$358 ₼608

349.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$250 ₼425

137.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.5

-41.37%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Seki: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Seki

$143 19% 54% $167

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Seki

$196 26.2% 17.1% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Seki

$160 21.3% 47.5% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Seki

$44 5.9% 53.2% $50

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Seki

$174 23.1% 127% $97

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Seki

$5.2 * 0.7% 91.2% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Seki

$29 3.8% 43.9% $22

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 $220 in Seki. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $39 in Seki. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $196 in Seki – so Seki wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇦🇿 Seki

🕒 Local time

15:03 3:03 PM

12:03 12:03 PM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

68,400

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Azerbaijani Manat AZN ₼

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 AZN = 0.588 USD

1 AZN = 0.525 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AZN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Azerbaijani Manat exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1.7 AZN (1 AZN = 0.588 USD). 1 EUR = 1.91 AZN (1 AZN = 0.525 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Seki 5,490 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Seki

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 Seki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 25% more than Seki, 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 $1,125 in Seki. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Seki, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $220 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $39 in Seki. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $750 in Seki, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Seki – 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 Seki. 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.