Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and St Brelade

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $3,794 in St Brelade, rent and utilities included – about $34,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$938
/mo nomad
St Brelade
🇯🇪 Jersey
$3,794
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in St Brelade

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,794 in St Brelade, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $938
  • St Brelade $3,794

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,609 in St Brelade, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,426
  • St Brelade $5,609

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $7,423 in St Brelade, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,914
  • St Brelade $7,423

Chiang Mai is about 75% cheaper than St Brelade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 30% below the global median, while St Brelade is 181% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
St Brelade
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.26 ฿75.4
$39.35 JEP 29.55
-94.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.18 ฿641
$118 JEP 88.4
-83.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.59 ฿187
$10.52 JEP 7.90
-46.86%
Cappuccino
$1.72 ฿57.6
$4.75 JEP 3.57
-63.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.54
$3.25 JEP 2.44
-80.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ฿11.18
$2.52 JEP 1.90
-86.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿78.7
$8.10 JEP 6.09
-70.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.90 ฿130
$6.19 JEP 4.65
-37.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
St Brelade
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.05 ฿68.6
$2.31 JEP 1.74
-11.26%
White Bread (500g)
$1.40 ฿46.70
$2.68 JEP 2.01
-47.76%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.28 ฿42.89
$3.75 JEP 2.82
-65.87%
Eggs
$2.25 ฿75.3
$6.24 JEP 4.69
-63.94%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.94 ฿566
$7.27 JEP 5.46
133.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.74 ฿91.6
$11.95 JEP 8.97
-77.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.36 ฿313
$18.57 JEP 13.95
-49.60%
Apples (1kg)
$2.40 ฿80.3
$4.26 JEP 3.20
-43.66%
Banana (1kg)
$1.01 ฿33.92
$3.39 JEP 2.55
-70.21%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.61 ฿53.9
$4.07 JEP 3.05
-60.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.52 ฿50.7
$4.33 JEP 3.25
-64.90%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿42.90
$3.12 JEP 2.34
-58.97%
Onion (1kg)
$1.11 ฿37.22
$3.11 JEP 2.33
-64.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.72 ฿24.09
$1.89 JEP 1.42
-61.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.54
$2.42 JEP 1.82
-78.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.33 ฿145
$20.17 JEP 15.15
-78.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.73 ฿593
$10.68 JEP 8.02
66.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.63 ฿54.4
$4.53 JEP 3.40
-64.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.85 ฿95.3
$7.80 JEP 5.86
-63.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
St Brelade
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.85 ฿28.31
$3.54 JEP 2.66
-75.99%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.9 ฿1,801
$72.6 JEP 54.6
-25.80%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.17 ฿39.18
$5.31 JEP 3.99
-77.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.57 ฿19.00
$2.51 JEP 1.89
-77.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.37 ฿79.2
$52.3 JEP 39.26
-95.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.32
$2.03 JEP 1.53
-28.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.5K ฿684.3K
$26.1K JEP 19.6K
-21.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.5K ฿886.1K
$35.7K JEP 26.8K
-25.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
St Brelade
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.3 ฿2,083
$324 JEP 243
-80.77%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.27 ฿410
$45.02 JEP 33.81
-72.75%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.97 ฿668
$71.2 JEP 53.5
-71.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
St Brelade
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.91 ฿1,267
$118 JEP 88.7
-67.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.76 ฿126
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.71 ฿224
$15.76 JEP 11.84
-57.42%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
St Brelade
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$797 ฿26.6K
$2,492 JEP 1,871
-68.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿495.7K
$8,957 JEP 6,727
65.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
St Brelade
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.3 ฿1,780
$102 JEP 76.5
-47.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.05 ฿837
$71.5 JEP 53.7
-64.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.6 ฿3,062
$118 JEP 88.8
-22.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.5 ฿2,455
$206 JEP 155
-64.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
St Brelade
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$464 ฿15.5K
$1,790 JEP 1,344
-74.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$305 ฿10.2K
$1,978 JEP 1,485
-84.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$915 ฿30.6K
$3,113 JEP 2,338
-70.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$552 ฿18.5K
$3,374 JEP 2,534
-83.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,912 ฿63.9K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,438 ฿48.1K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
St Brelade
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$595 ฿19.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
4.08
36.52%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for St Brelade: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$305
St Brelade
$2K 549% $1.7K
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$238
St Brelade
$418 75.8% $180
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$110
St Brelade
$224 104% $114
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$95
St Brelade
$440 366% $346
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$79
St Brelade
$479 507% $400
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
St Brelade
$105 70.7% $43
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$51
St Brelade
$150 192% $98

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $1,790 in St Brelade. 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 $118 in St Brelade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $418 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇯🇪 St Brelade
🕒 Local time
07:15 7:15 AM
01:15 1:15 AM
6 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
10,568
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

JEP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

Jersey Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.751 JEP (1 JEP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.844 JEP (1 JEP = 1.18 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai St Brelade 9,220 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • St Brelade

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 St Brelade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or St Brelade?
St Brelade costs about 304% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in St Brelade?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $5,692 in St Brelade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or St Brelade?
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.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in St Brelade?
Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,492 in St Brelade. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in St Brelade?
Groceries cost about 76% more in St Brelade, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Chiang Mai or in St Brelade?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in St Brelade at $3,794. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in St Brelade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Chiang Mai or St Brelade?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $3,794 in St Brelade. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to St Brelade?
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.
Should I move to Chiang Mai or to St Brelade?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, St Brelade makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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