Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Surin

For one person, living is cheaper in Surin: $869 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $670 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

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

Cost of Living Index in Surin
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Surin Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Surin

🇹🇭 Thailand

$869

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $869 in Surin, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Surin $869

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,444 in Surin, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Surin $1,444

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,018 in Surin, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Surin $2,018

Chiang Mai costs about 6% more than Surin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Surin are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Surin 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$3.03 ฿101

-24.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$24.70 ฿826

-20.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$7.23 ฿242

-22.41%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.74 ฿58.3

-4.60%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.61 ฿20.30

14.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.33 ฿10.89

-6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$2.20 ฿73.5

9.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$3.42 ฿114

8.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.57 ฿52.4

24.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.31 ฿43.79

7.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.47 ฿48.98

-10.88%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.90 ฿63.5

14.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$17.41 ฿582

-4.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$2.48 ฿83.0

11.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$8.89 ฿297

2.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.57 ฿86.0

-7.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.02 ฿34.23

0.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.48 ฿82.9

-34.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$2.05 ฿68.5

-26.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.44 ฿48.20

-10.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.95 ฿31.77

16.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.94 ฿31.37

-23.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.44 ฿14.59

20.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$4.27 ฿143

0.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$16.36 ฿547

9.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.57 ฿52.4

0.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$3.01 ฿100

-5.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.92 ฿30.79

-6.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$1.37 ฿45.65

-11.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$1.01 ฿33.73

-43.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$6.04 ฿202

-61.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.35 ฿45.06

6.67%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$22.7K ฿758.4K

-8.65%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$27.1K ฿904.4K

-0.96%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$77.8 ฿2,601

-19.90%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$11.53 ฿385

5.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$18.68 ฿624

6.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$41.58 ฿1,390

-10.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$11.45 ฿383

-66.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$6.51 ฿218

-0.15%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$628 ฿21.0K

26.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$12.1K ฿405.0K

22.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$53.1 ฿1,773

1.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$27.95 ฿934

-11.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$73.3 ฿2,451

23.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$68.0 ฿2,274

4.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$440 ฿14.7K

3.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$273 ฿9,126

9.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$1,185 ฿39.6K

-23.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$714 ฿23.9K

-22.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,730 ฿57.8K

11.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,518 ฿50.7K

-4.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

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 17, 2026

Last update for Surin: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Surin

$273 31.4% 8.3% $25

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Surin

$235 27% 0.4% $1

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Surin

$100 11.5% 7.5% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Surin

$108 12.4% 14.5% $14

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Surin

$88 10.2% 12.5% $9.9

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Surin

$10 * 1.2% 83.4% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Surin

$55 6.3% 9.1% $4.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $440 in Surin. 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $25.00 in Surin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Surin

🕒 Local time

12:42 12:42 PM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

40,104

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Surin 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Surin

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 Surin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 6% more than Surin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,303 in Surin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surin, 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $25.00 in Surin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 0% more in Chiang Mai, 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 Surin, where all-in costs run around $869, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Surin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Surin costs $869 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. 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 Surin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.