Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Taitung

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,035 in Taitung, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Taitung despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Taitung
Learn more

Taitung Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Taitung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,035

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,035 in Taitung, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Taitung $1,035

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,802 in Taitung, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Taitung $1,802

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,569 in Taitung, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Taitung $2,569

Chiang Mai is about 9% cheaper than Taitung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Taitung are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Taitung 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$3.82 NT$124

-40.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$48.18 NT$1,562

-60.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$5.56 NT$180

0.54%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$3.45 NT$112

-50.14%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.95 NT$30.66

-32.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.68 NT$22.00

-51.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$2.88 NT$93.3

-18.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.76 NT$122

3.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$3.09 NT$100

-33.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.87 NT$60.7

-25.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$3.12 NT$101

-58.97%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$2.33 NT$75.4

-3.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$19.49 NT$632

-13.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$3.89 NT$126

-29.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$21.88 NT$709

-57.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.92 NT$62.1

25.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$2.92 NT$94.6

-65.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.93 NT$62.5

-16.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$4.50 NT$146

-66.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$2.73 NT$88.4

-53.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$2.36 NT$76.5

-52.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.78 NT$57.7

-59.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.11 NT$35.94

-53.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$4.00 NT$130

8.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$14.07 NT$456

26.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.64 NT$53.3

-0.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.28 NT$73.8

25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.65 NT$20.95

30.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$36.43 NT$1,181

47.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$2.72 NT$88.3

-56.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.78 NT$25.14

-26.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$9.18 NT$298

-74.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.90 NT$29.33

61.11%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$33.2K NT$1.1M

-38.41%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$24.1K NT$781.5K

10.02%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$85.6 NT$2,777

-27.22%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$17.66 NT$573

-30.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$27.09 NT$878

-26.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$36.70 NT$1,190

3.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$9.25 NT$300

-27.46%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$677 NT$21.9K

17.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$17.0K NT$550.6K

-12.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$28.52 NT$925

86.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$15.68 NT$508

59.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$49.43 NT$1,603

85.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$105 NT$3,410

-30.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$412 NT$13.4K

12.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$251 NT$8,133

21.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$983 NT$31.9K

-6.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$747 NT$24.2K

-26.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$7,734 NT$250.8K

-75.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$5,021 NT$162.8K

-71.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$637 NT$20.7K

-6.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.4

132.08%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Taitung: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Taitung

$251 24.2% 17.7% $54

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Taitung

$346 33.5% 45.6% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Taitung

$89 8.6% 18.3% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Taitung

$130 12.6% 37.9% $36

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Taitung

$117 11.3% 48.1% $38

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Taitung

$46 4.4% 25.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Taitung

$55 5.3% 7.5% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $412 in Taitung. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 7% higher in Taitung, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $48.00 in Taitung. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $346 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇼 Taitung

🕒 Local time

00:12 12:12 AM

01:12 1:12 AM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

106,368

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Taitung 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Taitung

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 Taitung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Taitung costs about 10% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,552 in Taitung. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $677 in Taitung. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Taitung, 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 Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Taitung at $1,035. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Taitung it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,035 in Taitung. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Taitung makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.