Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tay Ninh

For one person, living is cheaper in Tay Ninh: $440 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Tay Ninh
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Tay Ninh Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Tay Ninh

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$440

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Tay Ninh

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $440 in Tay Ninh, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Tay Ninh $440

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $715 in Tay Ninh, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Tay Ninh $715

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $990 in Tay Ninh, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Tay Ninh $990

Chiang Mai costs about 110% more than Tay Ninh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Tay Ninh are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Tay Ninh 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$1.28 ₫33.0K

78.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$11.49 ₫297.4K

70.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$4.07 ₫105.3K

37.84%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$0.93 ₫24.0K

78.49%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.55 ₫14.3K

27.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.34 ₫8,892

-8.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$0.90 ₫23.2K

167.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$1.09 ₫28.1K

240.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.28 ₫33.1K

52.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.70 ₫18.2K

101.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$0.67 ₫17.5K

95.52%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.28 ₫33.2K

70.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$12.25 ₫317.1K

35.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$1.96 ₫50.8K

40.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$7.16 ₫185.3K

27.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.79 ₫46.3K

33.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$0.76 ₫19.6K

35.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.82 ₫21.2K

98.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.16 ₫29.9K

29.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.23 ₫31.8K

4.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.16 ₫30.0K

-4.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.56 ₫14.4K

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.51 ₫13.1K

3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$1.20 ₫31.1K

259.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$6.68 ₫172.9K

168.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$0.83 ₫21.4K

90.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$0.99 ₫25.6K

186.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.33 ₫8,670

160.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$6.50 ₫168.4K

719.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.17 ₫4,418

611.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.63 ₫16.3K

-9.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$3.01 ₫78.0K

-21.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$0.74 ₫19.1K

94.59%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$30.3K ₫784.2M

-31.56%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$28.8K ₫746.4M

-7.04%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$29.87 ₫773.3K

108.67%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$5.84 ₫151.3K

107.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$6.95 ₫179.8K

186.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$24.84 ₫643.2K

49.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$7.53 ₫194.9K

-49.80%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$3.46 ₫89.6K

87.86%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$109 ₫2.8M

624.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$5,317 ₫137.7M

178.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$14.52 ₫375.8K

270.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$11.54 ₫298.7K

113.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$76.2 ₫2.0M

19.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$53.9 ₫1.4M

32.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$157 ₫4.1M

190.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$88.2 ₫2.3M

237.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$350 ₫9.0M

159.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$199 ₫5.2M

178.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$2,243 ₫58.1M

-13.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,232 ₫31.9M

17.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$224 ₫5.8M

163.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.64

-35.53%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Tay Ninh: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Tay Ninh

$88 20.1% 70.4% $210

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Tay Ninh

$152 34.5% 35.5% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Tay Ninh

$70 16% 35% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Tay Ninh

$43 9.7% 54.8% $52

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Tay Ninh

$44 10% 44.3% $35

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Tay Ninh

$11 2.5% 81.6% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Tay Ninh

$32 7.2% 36.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $157 in Tay Ninh. 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 163% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $11.00 in Tay Ninh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $152 – making Tay Ninh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇻🇳 Tay Ninh

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

135,254

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Tay Ninh 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Tay Ninh

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 Tay Ninh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 110% more than Tay Ninh, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $660 in Tay Ninh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tay Ninh, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $109 in Tay Ninh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 55% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tay Ninh, where all-in costs run around $440, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Tay Ninh 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. Tay Ninh costs $440 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 Tay Ninh. 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.