Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ta Khmau Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ta Khmau

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $866 per month in Chiang Mai vs $456 in Ta Khmau, rent included.

A couple spends around $1,351 per month in Chiang Mai vs $743 in Ta Khmau, rent included.

A family of three spends $1,835 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,031 in Ta Khmau, rent included.

Chiang Mai costs about 90% more than Ta Khmau, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Both Chiang Mai and Ta Khmau are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 35% lower, Ta Khmau 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.94 ฿63.5

$2.47 ៛9,923

-21.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.64 ฿609

$24.09 ៛96.9K

-22.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.82 ฿255

$7.19 ៛28.9K

8.76%

Cappuccino

$1.95 ฿63.8

$1.62 ៛6,499

20.37%

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

$0.85 ฿27.77

$0.73 ៛2,944

16.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.58

$0.48 ៛1,928

-27.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.13 ฿69.6

$0.98 ៛3,921

117.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿122

$1.92 ៛7,723

94.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿56.0

$1.82 ៛7,318

-6.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ฿53.2

$1.37 ៛5,526

18.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ฿37.15

$0.96 ៛3,855

18.75%

Eggs

$1.93 ฿63.1

$1.64 ៛6,581

17.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.21 ฿530

$13.07 ៛52.5K

24.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 ฿102

$3.60 ៛14.5K

-13.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿356

$10.32 ៛41.5K

5.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ฿90.0

$3.57 ៛14.4K

-22.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ฿39.52

$1.13 ៛4,548

7.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ฿53.0

$3.38 ៛13.6K

-52.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿51.8

$1.32 ៛5,293

20.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 ฿45.70

$1.30 ៛5,246

7.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ฿38.17

$0.89 ៛3,582

31.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ฿21.60

$1.36 ៛5,488

-51.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.22

$0.68 ៛2,721

-22.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.69 ฿153

$1.83 ៛7,358

156.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.66 ฿609

$7.49 ៛30.1K

149.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ฿58.8

$0.80 ៛3,198

125.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 ฿106

$1.69 ៛6,778

91.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 ฿29.26

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.21 ฿628

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 ฿45.91

$1.07 ៛4,313

31.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.29 ฿42.12

$0.97 ៛3,902

32.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.84 ฿256

$4.48 ៛18.0K

75.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ฿41.58

$1.12 ៛4,490

13.39%

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

$21.3K ฿694.9K

$49.4K ៛198.8M

-56.96%

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

$22.2K ฿725.4K

$37.0K ៛148.6M

-39.89%

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

$69.1 ฿2,256

$74.0 ៛297.3K

-6.60%

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

$14.08 ฿460

$6.05 ៛24.3K

132.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.00 ฿588

$19.89 ៛80.0K

-9.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.06 ฿1,341

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.96 ฿227

Cinema Ticket

$5.92 ฿193

$4.45 ៛17.9K

33.03%

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

$299 ฿9,766

$366 ៛1.5M

-18.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K ฿488.3K

$5,076 ៛20.4M

194.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 ฿1,787

$22.06 ៛88.7K

147.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.77 ฿874

$18.39 ៛73.9K

45.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.0 ฿2,776

$55.8 ៛224.2K

52.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.6 ฿2,306

$36.14 ៛145.3K

95.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$428 ฿14.0K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,752

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 ฿26.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$515 ฿16.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,975 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,475 ฿48.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$617 ฿20.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.2

-45.65%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: May 31, 2026

Last update for Ta Khmau: June 2, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $24.00 in Ta Khmau. Groceries tell a different story – $246 in Chiang Mai vs $217 in Ta Khmau – so Ta Khmau wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

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 Ta Khmau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 90% more than Ta Khmau, with the gap driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,300 per month in Chiang Mai and $684 in Ta Khmau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $24.00 in Ta Khmau. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% 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 $866 in Chiang Mai and $456 in Ta Khmau, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ta Khmau costs $456 versus $866 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 Ta Khmau. 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.