Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sihanoukville

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Sihanoukville: $936 and $943 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Sihanoukville
Learn more

Sihanoukville Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Sihanoukville

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$943

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $943 in Sihanoukville, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Sihanoukville $943

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,416 in Sihanoukville, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Sihanoukville $1,416

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,889 in Sihanoukville, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Sihanoukville $1,889

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$4.08 ៛16.6K

-45.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$30.53 ៛124.4K

-37.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.98 ៛28.4K

-20.49%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.29 ៛9,321

-27.07%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.76 ៛3,081

-15.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.46 ៛1,856

-32.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.01 ៛4,132

133.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.95 ៛7,926

87.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.19 ៛8,912

-10.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.66 ៛6,746

-13.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$0.86 ៛3,510

54.65%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.74 ៛7,070

31.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$13.68 ៛55.7K

20.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.21 ៛17.1K

-33.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.77 ៛35.7K

6.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.58 ៛14.6K

-34.36%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.38 ៛5,625

-29.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$4.38 ៛17.8K

-63.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.54 ៛6,284

-2.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.32 ៛5,362

-3.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.19 ៛4,860

-7.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.38 ៛5,611

-48.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.76 ៛3,077

-35.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.52 ៛6,203

172.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$11.09 ៛45.2K

57.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.90 ៛3,658

78.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.63 ៛6,626

70.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$1.08 ៛4,414

7.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.98 ៛3,988

-45.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$5.14 ៛21.0K

-52.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.24 ៛5,064

16.94%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$34.5K ៛140.7M

-39.02%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$44.6K ៛181.8M

-39.63%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$121 ៛493.4K

-48.67%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$6.51 ៛26.5K

86.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$18.39 ៛74.9K

9.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$72.0 ៛293.3K

-48.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$10.01 ៛40.8K

-62.34%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.88 ៛19.9K

32.99%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$336 ៛1.4M

119.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$5,086 ៛20.7M

190.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$27.75 ៛113.0K

92.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$20.02 ៛81.6K

23.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$90.3 ៛367.9K

1.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$19.75 ៛80.5K

264.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$403 ៛1.6M

19.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$304 ៛1.2M

1.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$654 ៛2.7M

53.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$500 ៛2.0M

26.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.94

-29.85%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sihanoukville: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Sihanoukville

$304 32.2% 1.6% $5.1

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Sihanoukville

$239 25.4% 2.2% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Sihanoukville

$71 7.5% 34.6% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Sihanoukville

$146 15.5% 54.6% $52

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Sihanoukville

$95 10.1% 22.3% $17

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sihanoukville

$6 * 0.6% 90.3% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Sihanoukville

$82 8.7% 62.6% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $403 in Sihanoukville. 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 $31 in Sihanoukville. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $239 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇭 Sihanoukville

🕒 Local time

11:17 11:17 AM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

73,036

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4,074 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,548 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Sihanoukville 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sihanoukville

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 Sihanoukville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,414 in Sihanoukville. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sihanoukville, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $403 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $31 in Sihanoukville. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $336 in Sihanoukville. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $943 in Sihanoukville. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $943 in Sihanoukville. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.