Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Seria

For one person, living is cheaper in Seria: $567 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Seria
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Seria Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Seria

🇧🇳 Brunei

$567

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $567 in Seria, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Seria $567

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $904 in Seria, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Seria $904

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,242 in Seria, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Seria $1,242

Chiang Mai costs about 66% more than Seria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Chiang Mai and Seria are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Seria 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$3.13 BND 4.00

-27.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$27.07 BND 34.64

-29.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$5.36 BND 6.86

4.29%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 BND 2.04

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 BND 2.96

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$3.88 BND 4.97

-55.67%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.91 BND 1.16

-29.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.54 BND 0.69

-38.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.81 BND 2.32

13.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.43 BND 1.83

-2.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.21 BND 1.55

5.79%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.38 BND 1.76

63.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$6.17 BND 7.90

174.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$4.41 BND 5.64

-37.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$10.89 BND 13.93

-14.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$3.20 BND 4.09

-25.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$2.23 BND 2.85

-54.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$2.98 BND 3.82

-45.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$2.55 BND 3.27

-40.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.68 BND 2.15

-23.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$2.08 BND 2.66

-46.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$3.74 BND 4.79

-80.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.76 BND 0.98

-31.58%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.42 BND 29.96

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.22 BND 4.12

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 BND 1.38

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$15.42 BND 19.73

-71.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$4.02 BND 5.14

-70.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$3.25 BND 4.15

-82.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$11.77 BND 15.06

-79.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.30 BND 0.38

383.33%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$43.5K BND 55.7K

-52.98%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$36.2K BND 46.3K

-26.78%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$61.8 BND 79.0

0.92%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$15.66 BND 20.03

-21.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$64.1 BND 82.0

-68.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$27.52 BND 35.20

37.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$5.36 BND 6.86

25.19%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$216 BND 276

269.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$9,750 BND 12.5K

52.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$31.04 BND 39.71

71.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$27.71 BND 35.45

-9.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$50.3 BND 64.4

82.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$46.16 BND 59.1

59.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$716 BND 917

-16.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.88

43.56%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Seria: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Seria

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Seria

$203 35.9% 14.5% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Seria

$70 12.3% 36.2% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Seria

$142 25% 49.6% $47

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Seria

$94 16.5% 18.4% $15

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Seria

$20 * 3.6% 67% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Seria

$38 6.8% 25.5% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 20% higher in Seria, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $27.00 in Seria. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $203 in Seria – so Seria wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇳 Seria

🕒 Local time

10:25 10:25 AM

11:25 11:25 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

30,097

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.695 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.782 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 BND (1 BND = 0.695 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Seria 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Seria

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 Seria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 66% more than Seria, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $850 in Seria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $27.00 in Seria. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Seria, where all-in costs run around $567, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Seria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Seria costs $567 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Seria. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.