Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tamarin

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,033 in Tamarin, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Tamarin
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Tamarin Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Tamarin

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$1,033

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,033 in Tamarin, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Tamarin $1,033

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,648 in Tamarin, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Tamarin $1,648

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,263 in Tamarin, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Tamarin $2,263

Chiang Mai is about 9% cheaper than Tamarin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Tamarin are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Tamarin 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$6.00 MUR 280

-62.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$32.24 MUR 1,502

-41.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.12 MUR 332

-22.05%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.69 MUR 126

-37.92%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.15 MUR 53.4

-44.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.64 MUR 29.77

-51.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.59 MUR 121

-8.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.81 MUR 224

-23.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.49 MUR 69.3

30.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.20 MUR 9.31

620.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.14 MUR 53.2

16.67%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.55 MUR 119

-10.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$3.75 MUR 175

338.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.26 MUR 292

-55.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.29 MUR 526

-17.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.11 MUR 98.2

11.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$2.14 MUR 99.6

-54.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.40 MUR 65.4

14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.01 MUR 140

-50.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.96 MUR 44.71

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$1.02 MUR 47.34

7.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.70 MUR 32.38

1.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.88 MUR 41.03

-44.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.18 MUR 288

-33.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$8.69 MUR 405

101.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.69 MUR 78.6

-4.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.94 MUR 90.2

43.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.87 MUR 40.41

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$4.24 MUR 197

-72.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$3.24 MUR 151

-83.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$6.42 MUR 299

-62.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.37 MUR 63.7

5.84%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$29.8K MUR 1.4M

-29.26%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$30.7K MUR 1.4M

-12.24%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$44.27 MUR 2,062

40.43%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$10.47 MUR 488

16.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$29.63 MUR 1,380

-32.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$41.34 MUR 1,926

-9.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.46 MUR 301

0.46%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$125 MUR 5,833

487.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$3,083 MUR 143.6K

378.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$63.5 MUR 2,960

-15.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$53.8 MUR 2,507

-54.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$85.9 MUR 4,002

6.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$58.9 MUR 2,745

22.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$957 MUR 44.6K

-49.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$420 MUR 19.6K

-26.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,608 MUR 74.9K

-37.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$862 MUR 40.1K

-26.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$835 MUR 38.9K

-29.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.67

-16.49%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tamarin: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Tamarin

$420 40.7% 36.1% $112

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Tamarin

$200 19.4% 14.6% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Tamarin

$118 11.4% 8.6% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Tamarin

$84 8.2% 10.7% $10

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Tamarin

$131 12.7% 69.4% $54

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Tamarin

$24 * 2.3% 61% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Tamarin

$54 5.3% 7.9% $4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $957 in Tamarin. 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 42% higher in Tamarin. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $32 in Tamarin. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $200 in Tamarin – so Tamarin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇺 Tamarin

🕒 Local time

04:44 4:44 AM

01:44 1:44 AM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

4,371

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MUR = 2.15 USD

100 MUR = 1.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 46.58 MUR (100 MUR = 2.15 USD). 1 EUR = 52.21 MUR (100 MUR = 1.92 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Tamarin 6,280 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Tamarin

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 Tamarin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,549 in Tamarin. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $957 in Tamarin.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $32 in Tamarin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 15% cheaper in Tamarin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,033 in Tamarin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,033 in Tamarin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tamarin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.