Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Siem Reap Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Siem Reap

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $866 per month in Chiang Mai vs $720 in Siem Reap, rent included.

A couple spends around $1,351 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,073 in Siem Reap, rent included.

A family of three spends $1,835 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,426 in Siem Reap, rent included.

Chiang Mai costs about 20% more than Siem Reap, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Both Chiang Mai and Siem Reap are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 35% lower, Siem Reap 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.94 ฿63.5

$2.54 ៛10.2K

-23.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.64 ฿609

$24.11 ៛96.9K

-22.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.82 ฿255

$6.92 ៛27.8K

13.01%

Cappuccino

$1.95 ฿63.8

$1.67 ៛6,719

16.77%

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

$0.85 ฿27.77

$0.69 ៛2,768

23.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.58

$0.51 ៛2,059

-31.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.13 ฿69.6

$0.98 ៛3,937

117.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿122

$1.93 ៛7,744

93.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿56.0

$1.81 ៛7,271

-5.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ฿53.2

$1.38 ៛5,546

18.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ฿37.15

$1.03 ៛4,151

10.68%

Eggs

$1.93 ฿63.1

$1.62 ៛6,496

19.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.21 ฿530

$13.00 ៛52.3K

24.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 ฿102

$3.64 ៛14.6K

-14.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿356

$10.42 ៛41.9K

4.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ฿90.0

$3.65 ៛14.7K

-24.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ฿39.52

$1.07 ៛4,315

13.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ฿53.0

$3.43 ៛13.8K

-52.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿51.8

$1.31 ៛5,277

21.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 ฿45.70

$1.24 ៛4,984

12.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ฿38.17

$0.95 ៛3,820

23.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ฿21.60

$1.36 ៛5,471

-51.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.22

$0.67 ៛2,681

-20.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.69 ฿153

$1.91 ៛7,662

145.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.66 ฿609

$7.46 ៛30.0K

150.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿58.8

$0.73 ៛2,934

146.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 ฿106

$1.68 ៛6,740

92.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 ฿29.26

$1.01 ៛4,066

-10.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.21 ฿628

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 ฿45.91

$1.03 ៛4,159

36.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 ฿42.12

$0.98 ៛3,954

31.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.84 ฿256

$4.60 ៛18.5K

70.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ฿41.58

$1.08 ៛4,326

17.59%

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

$21.3K ฿694.9K

$49.0K ៛196.9M

-56.56%

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

$22.2K ฿725.4K

$37.0K ៛148.6M

-39.89%

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

$69.1 ฿2,256

$73.1 ៛294.0K

-5.53%

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

$14.08 ฿460

$6.13 ៛24.7K

129.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.00 ฿588

$19.40 ៛78.0K

-7.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.06 ฿1,341

$36.31 ៛146.0K

13.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.96 ฿227

$3.52 ៛14.2K

97.73%

Cinema Ticket

$5.92 ฿193

$4.46 ៛17.9K

32.74%

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

$299 ฿9,766

$375 ៛1.5M

-20.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K ฿488.3K

$4,917 ៛19.8M

204.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ฿1,787

$22.56 ៛90.7K

142.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.77 ฿874

$18.51 ៛74.4K

44.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 ฿2,776

$54.1 ៛217.6K

57.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.6 ฿2,306

$36.22 ៛145.6K

94.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$428 ฿14.0K

$315 ៛1.3M

36.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,752

$216 ៛868.5K

9.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ฿26.2K

$497 ៛2.0M

61.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$515 ฿16.8K

$319 ៛1.3M

61.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,975 ฿64.5K

$2,470 ៛9.9M

-20.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,475 ฿48.2K

$1,106 ៛4.4M

33.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$617 ฿20.2K

$239 ៛959.9K

158.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.2

-45.65%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: May 31, 2026

Last update for Siem Reap: May 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $428 in Chiang Mai versus $315 in Siem Reap. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 159% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $24.00 in Siem Reap. Groceries tell a different story – $246 in Chiang Mai vs $217 in Siem Reap – so Siem Reap wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

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 Siem Reap: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 20% more than Siem Reap, with the gap driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,300 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,080 in Siem Reap. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Siem Reap, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $24.00 in Siem Reap. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% 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.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $866 in Chiang Mai and $720 in Siem Reap, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Siem Reap costs $720 versus $866 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 Siem Reap. 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.