Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Surat Thani Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Surat Thani

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 13.5% cheaper than Surat Thani without rent, and 3.3% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 12.7% cheaper than Surat Thani without rent, and 0.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Surat Thani
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.03 ฿64.3
$1.91 ฿60.5
6.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.59 ฿590
$18.14 ฿575
2.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.48 ฿237
$4.49 ฿142
66.59%
Cappuccino
$2.00 ฿63.3
$1.55 ฿49.20
29.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 ฿26.87
$0.50 ฿15.95
70.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.35 ฿11.15
$0.30 ฿9.40
16.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.21 ฿70.2
$2.44 ฿77.3
-9.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.76 ฿119
$3.74 ฿119
0.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Surat Thani
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 ฿54.5
$1.95 ฿62.0
-11.79%
White Bread (500g)
$1.63 ฿51.8
$1.24 ฿39.25
31.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.16 ฿36.75
$1.11 ฿35.28
4.50%
Eggs
$1.98 ฿62.8
$1.91 ฿60.5
3.66%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.93 ฿505
$19.36 ฿614
-17.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.17 ฿100
$3.68 ฿117
-13.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿346
$7.63 ฿242
42.86%
Apples (1kg)
$2.65 ฿83.9
$3.37 ฿107
-21.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 ฿38.79
$1.71 ฿54.1
-28.65%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.70 ฿53.8
$2.13 ฿67.4
-20.19%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.59 ฿50.4
$1.77 ฿56.2
-10.17%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 ฿42.00
$1.20 ฿38.03
10.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 ฿37.07
$1.48 ฿47.08
-20.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 ฿21.50
$0.97 ฿30.90
-29.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ฿17.68
$0.42 ฿13.26
33.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.51 ฿143
$3.17 ฿101
42.27%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.07 ฿605
$19.77 ฿627
-3.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿56.2
$1.60 ฿50.7
10.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 ฿101
$2.66 ฿84.4
19.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Surat Thani
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.96 ฿30.54
$1.05 ฿33.44
-8.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.90 ฿599
$21.58 ฿685
-12.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 ฿43.07
$1.10 ฿35.03
23.64%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 ฿42.89
$0.67 ฿21.15
101.49%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.03 ฿255
$3.76 ฿119
113.56%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 ฿39.43
$1.25 ฿39.66
-0.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ฿671.3K
$27.2K ฿862.2K
-22.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K ฿690.1K
$33.7K ฿1.1M
-35.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Surat Thani
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$71.2 ฿2,260
$75.5 ฿2,396
-5.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.09 ฿447
$13.59 ฿431
3.68%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.47 ฿554
$18.50 ฿587
-5.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Surat Thani
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.07 ฿1,335
$48.44 ฿1,537
-13.15%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.88 ฿218
$12.15 ฿385
-43.37%
Cinema Ticket
$5.94 ฿188
$4.70 ฿149
26.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Surat Thani
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$307 ฿9,750
$704 ฿22.3K
-56.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿469.3K
$15.8K ฿500.3K
-6.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Surat Thani
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.7 ฿1,766
$59.6 ฿1,889
-6.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.79 ฿850
$34.63 ฿1,098
-22.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.2 ฿2,640
$114 ฿3,611
-26.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.1 ฿2,224
$84.4 ฿2,679
-16.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Surat Thani
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$427 ฿13.6K
$241 ฿7,631
77.61%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$237 ฿7,521
$153 ฿4,840
55.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$802 ฿25.4K
$682 ฿21.6K
17.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$503 ฿16.0K
$416 ฿13.2K
21.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,061 ฿65.4K
$2,406 ฿76.3K
-14.35%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,533 ฿48.6K
$1,365 ฿43.3K
12.24%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Surat Thani
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$654 ฿20.7K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
5.33
-6.19%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

Last update for Surat Thani: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities