Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Thung Song

For one person, living is cheaper in Thung Song: $897 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $470 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Thung Song
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Thung Song Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Thung Song

🇹🇭 Thailand

$897

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Thung Song

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $897 in Thung Song, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Thung Song $897

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,472 in Thung Song, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Thung Song $1,472

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,047 in Thung Song, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Thung Song $2,047

Chiang Mai costs about 4% more than Thung Song, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Thung Song are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Thung Song 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$4.39 ฿148

-48.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$17.61 ฿594

7.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.57 ฿289

-35.24%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.25 ฿75.9

-25.78%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.72 ฿24.37

-11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.31 ฿10.62

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.59 ฿87.5

-8.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.76 ฿127

-2.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.71 ฿57.6

14.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.40 ฿47.39

2.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.54 ฿51.9

-13.64%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.12 ฿71.4

7.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$19.55 ฿660

-15.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.30 ฿111

-15.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.19 ฿378

-16.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.96 ฿99.9

-20.61%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.68 ฿56.8

-42.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.63 ฿21.25

153.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.16 ฿72.8

-30.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.46 ฿49.10

-12.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.32 ฿44.58

-16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.06 ฿35.70

-33.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.51 ฿17.35

-3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.27 ฿144

-3.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$18.51 ฿625

-5.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.76 ฿59.2

-8.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.20 ฿74.4

26.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.85 ฿28.66

2.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$2.25 ฿76.0

-48.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.03 ฿34.71

-48.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$3.87 ฿131

-37.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.12 ฿37.74

29.46%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$26.4K ฿889.2K

-20.09%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$27.3K ฿921.9K

-1.39%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$29.42 ฿993

111.32%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$6.07 ฿205

100.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$13.76 ฿464

46.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$48.05 ฿1,621

-22.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$13.10 ฿442

-71.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.45 ฿252

-12.89%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$563 ฿19.0K

30.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$11.3K ฿381.2K

30.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$26.97 ฿910

97.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$18.09 ฿610

36.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$97.6 ฿3,294

-6.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$86.7 ฿2,924

-16.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$440 ฿14.8K

9.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$298 ฿10.0K

3.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,147 ฿38.7K

-12.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$708 ฿23.9K

-10.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,973 ฿66.6K

19.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,472 ฿49.7K

7.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.40%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Thung Song: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Thung Song

$298 33.2% 3.7% $11

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Thung Song

$260 29% 11.1% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Thung Song

$103 11.5% 5% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Thung Song

$49 5.5% 47.9% $45

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Thung Song

$112 12.6% 45% $35

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Thung Song

$11 * 1.2% 82.4% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Thung Song

$63 7% 25.2% $13

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 $440 in Thung Song. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $18 in Thung Song. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $260 in Thung Song – so Chiang Mai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thung Song

🕒 Local time

11:45 11:45 AM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

29,232

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Thung Song 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Thung Song

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 Thung Song: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 4% more than Thung Song, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,345 in Thung Song. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $440 in Thung Song. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $18 in Thung Song. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

Families tend to lean toward Thung Song – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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