Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Simpson Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $3,879 in Simpson Bay, rent and utilities included – about $35,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Simpson Bay

🇸🇽 Sint Maarten

$3,879

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Simpson Bay

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,879 in Simpson Bay, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Simpson Bay $3,879

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $6,586 in Simpson Bay, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Simpson Bay $6,586

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $9,293 in Simpson Bay, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Simpson Bay $9,293

Chiang Mai is about 76% cheaper than Simpson Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chiang Mai sits 30% below the global median, while Simpson Bay is 187% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$19.30 ANG 34.54

-88.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$132 ANG 236

-85.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$13.10 ANG 23.44

-57.33%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$4.45 ANG 7.96

-61.35%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.96 ANG 5.29

-78.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$2.92 ANG 5.23

-88.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$5.45 ANG 9.76

-56.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$4.12 ANG 7.37

-5.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$4.09 ANG 7.32

-49.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$2.75 ANG 4.92

-49.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$2.93 ANG 5.25

-56.31%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$4.50 ANG 8.06

-50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$24.59 ANG 44.02

-31.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$13.46 ANG 24.10

-79.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$17.21 ANG 30.80

-45.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$4.28 ANG 7.65

-43.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$3.51 ANG 6.29

-71.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$6.55 ANG 11.72

-75.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$5.07 ANG 9.08

-70.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$4.02 ANG 7.20

-68.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$3.51 ANG 6.29

-68.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$2.92 ANG 5.23

-75.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.44 ANG 2.58

-63.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$14.87 ANG 26.62

19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.70 ANG 3.05

67.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$3.05 ANG 5.45

-72.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$15.20 ANG 27.21

-92.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.31 ANG 2.34

10.69%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$506 ANG 906

-87.68%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$34.60 ANG 61.9

-64.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$88.9 ANG 159

-77.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$75.5 ANG 135

-49.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$7.97 ANG 14.27

-15.81%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$753 ANG 1,348

5.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$11.9K ANG 21.3K

24.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$49.79 ANG 89.1

6.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$39.25 ANG 70.3

-36.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$101 ANG 181

-9.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$59.8 ANG 107

22.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$2,321 ANG 4,155

-80.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$2,246 ANG 4,020

-86.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$5,924 ANG 10.6K

-84.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$5,759 ANG 10.3K

-90.41%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Simpson Bay: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Simpson Bay

–

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Simpson Bay

–

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Simpson Bay

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Simpson Bay

–

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Simpson Bay

–

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Simpson Bay

–

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Simpson Bay

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $2,321 in Simpson Bay. 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $132 in Simpson Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $466 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇽 Simpson Bay

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

19:47 7:47 PM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

6,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Netherlands Antillean Guilder ANG ƒ

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 ANG = 0.559 USD

1 ANG = 0.497 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ANG, 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).

Netherlands Antillean Guilder exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.79 ANG (1 ANG = 0.559 USD). 1 EUR = 2.01 ANG (1 ANG = 0.497 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Chiang Mai Simpson Bay 15,480 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Simpson Bay

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 Simpson Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Simpson Bay costs about 313% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $5,818 in Simpson Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, 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 $132 in Simpson Bay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 96% more in Simpson Bay, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Simpson Bay at $3,879. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Simpson Bay it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $3,879 in Simpson Bay. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Simpson Bay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.