Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Svay Rieng Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Svay Rieng

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $861 per month in Chiang Mai vs $574 in Svay Rieng, rent included.

A couple spends around $1,350 per month in Chiang Mai vs $908 in Svay Rieng, rent included.

A family of three spends $1,838 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,242 in Svay Rieng, rent included.

Chiang Mai costs about 50% more than Svay Rieng, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both Chiang Mai and Svay Rieng are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 36% lower, Svay Rieng 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.96 ฿65.9

$2.03 ៛8,191

-3.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.35 ฿617

$30.33 ៛122.3K

-39.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 ฿252

$6.82 ៛27.5K

9.68%

Cappuccino

$2.02 ฿67.8

$0.77 ៛3,116

162.34%

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

$0.85 ฿28.52

$0.48 ៛1,939

77.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ฿11.97

$0.26 ៛1,055

38.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 ฿71.9

$1.52 ៛6,146

40.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ฿121

$2.47 ៛9,952

45.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ฿55.5

$2.13 ៛8,597

-22.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 ฿52.7

$1.47 ៛5,926

6.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 ฿40.05

$1.02 ៛4,116

16.67%

Eggs

$1.94 ฿65.1

$1.75 ៛7,051

10.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.19 ฿545

$12.77 ៛51.5K

26.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.99 ฿101

$4.04 ៛16.3K

-25.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.94 ฿368

$10.19 ៛41.1K

7.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 ฿91.2

$4.53 ៛18.3K

-40.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 ฿39.27

$1.61 ៛6,498

-27.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$3.80 ៛15.3K

-55.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 ฿54.0

$1.48 ៛5,957

8.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.56

$1.71 ៛6,880

-19.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ฿40.47

$1.24 ៛5,005

-3.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ฿22.51

$1.39 ៛5,596

-51.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ฿18.74

$0.67 ៛2,699

-16.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.64 ฿156

$2.02 ៛8,141

129.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.62 ฿593

$10.89 ៛43.9K

61.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.6

$1.05 ៛4,235

77.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 ฿111

$1.69 ៛6,797

95.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ฿29.70

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.34 ฿651

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ฿45.92

$1.06 ៛4,280

28.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 ฿45.00

$1.02 ៛4,100

31.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.21 ฿276

$4.57 ៛18.4K

79.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ฿41.20

$1.18 ៛4,743

3.39%

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

$21.4K ฿718.5K

$49.8K ៛200.7M

-57.11%

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

$22.5K ฿758.1K

$37.4K ៛150.8M

-39.75%

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

$70.7 ฿2,378

$108 ៛434.5K

-34.42%

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

$14.04 ฿472

$6.31 ៛25.4K

122.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.49 ฿589

$22.95 ៛92.6K

-23.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.15 ฿1,418

$25.27 ៛101.9K

66.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.88 ฿231

Cinema Ticket

$5.92 ฿199

$4.40 ៛17.7K

34.55%

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

$309 ฿10.4K

$378 ៛1.5M

-18.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.9K ฿500.7K

$11.5K ៛46.5M

28.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 ฿1,876

$22.42 ៛90.4K

148.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.11 ฿879

$22.56 ៛91.0K

15.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.0 ฿2,793

$89.8 ៛362.1K

-7.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.5 ฿2,371

$74.9 ៛301.8K

-5.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$432 ฿14.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$239 ฿8,040

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ฿27.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$512 ฿17.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,915 ฿64.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,467 ฿49.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$579 ฿19.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.3

-51.46%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: July 12, 2026

Last update for Svay Rieng: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18.00 in Chiang Mai versus $30.00 in Svay Rieng. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $243 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

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 Svay Rieng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 50% more than Svay Rieng, with the gap driven mainly by Getting Around. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,292 per month in Chiang Mai and $862 in Svay Rieng. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18.00 in Chiang Mai and $30.00 in Svay Rieng. 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.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $861 in Chiang Mai and $574 in Svay Rieng, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Svay Rieng costs $574 versus $861 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 Svay Rieng. 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.