Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and St Lawrence

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,179 in St Lawrence, rent and utilities included – about $26,900 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
153

Cost of Living Index in St Lawrence
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St Lawrence Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

St Lawrence

🇯🇪 Jersey

$3,179

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,179 in St Lawrence, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
St Lawrence $3,179

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,207 in St Lawrence, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
St Lawrence $5,207

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $7,234 in St Lawrence, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
St Lawrence $7,234

Chiang Mai is about 71% cheaper than St Lawrence, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while St Lawrence is 134% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$40.12 JEP 30.13

-94.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$118 JEP 88.7

-83.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$10.70 JEP 8.03

-48.13%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$4.92 JEP 3.69

-66.06%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$3.38 JEP 2.54

-81.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$2.45 JEP 1.84

-87.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$8.24 JEP 6.19

-71.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$6.42 JEP 4.82

-42.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.24 JEP 1.68

-12.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$2.77 JEP 2.08

-48.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.62 JEP 1.97

-49.24%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$5.60 JEP 4.20

-59.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$7.09 JEP 5.33

132.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$12.12 JEP 9.11

-77.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$18.43 JEP 13.84

-49.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$4.19 JEP 3.15

-43.91%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$3.51 JEP 2.64

-72.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$4.24 JEP 3.18

-62.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$4.46 JEP 3.35

-66.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$3.29 JEP 2.47

-61.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$3.13 JEP 2.35

-64.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.88 JEP 1.41

-62.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$2.53 JEP 1.90

-80.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$19.95 JEP 14.98

-79.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$10.51 JEP 7.90

66.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$4.78 JEP 3.59

-66.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$7.55 JEP 5.67

-63.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$5.37 JEP 4.03

-78.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$2.44 JEP 1.83

-78.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$52.7 JEP 39.57

-95.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$2.13 JEP 1.60

-31.92%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$26.7K JEP 20.0K

-21.11%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$37.2K JEP 28.0K

-27.62%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$319 JEP 239

-80.50%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$34.29 JEP 25.75

-64.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$74.0 JEP 55.6

-72.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$93.3 JEP 70.1

-60.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$20.22 JEP 15.18

-67.90%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$838 JEP 630

-12.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$11.8K JEP 8,875

24.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$105 JEP 79.0

-49.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$74.4 JEP 55.9

-66.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$122 JEP 91.3

-24.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$210 JEP 157

-65.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,765 JEP 1,326

-72.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,466 JEP 1,101

-78.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$3,932 JEP 2,953

-74.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$3,393 JEP 2,548

-81.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿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 26, 2026

Last update for St Lawrence: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

St Lawrence

$1.5K 46.1% 375% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

St Lawrence

$416 13.1% 77.3% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

St Lawrence

$230 7.2% 112% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

St Lawrence

$427 13.4% 352% $333

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

St Lawrence

$489 15.4% 531% $412

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

St Lawrence

$18 * 0.6% 71.4% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

St Lawrence

$134 4.2% 166% $83

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 $1,765 in St Lawrence. 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 $118 in St Lawrence. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $416 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇪 St Lawrence

🕒 Local time

23:07 11:07 PM

16:07 4:07 PM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

5,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Jersey Pound JEP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 JEP = 1.33 USD

1 JEP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JEP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Jersey Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.751 JEP (1 JEP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.836 JEP (1 JEP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai St Lawrence 9,210 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
St Lawrence

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 Lawrence: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St Lawrence costs about 240% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $4,768 in St Lawrence. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,765 in St Lawrence.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $118 in St Lawrence. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 77% more in St Lawrence, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $3,179 in St Lawrence. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.