Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tonga

Name: Tonga
Address: TO

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,087 in Tonga, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. The total is higher in Tonga despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Tonga
Learn more

Tonga Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

🇹🇴 Tonga

$1,087

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 31.9% cheaper than Tonga without rent, and 16.7% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 34.9% cheaper than Tonga without rent, and 31% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$8.54 TOP 20.47

-75.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.40 ฿649

$63.5 TOP 152

-69.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 ฿183

$10.42 TOP 24.98

-47.50%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ฿56.4

$2.95 TOP 7.07

-43.05%

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

$0.66 ฿22.10

$2.82 TOP 6.75

-76.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.52

$2.42 TOP 5.80

-85.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿81.0

$3.24 TOP 7.76

-25.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

$4.94 TOP 11.84

-24.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ฿68.9

$1.52 TOP 3.64

35.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.78

$1.02 TOP 2.44

43.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ฿45.09

$2.12 TOP 5.08

-36.32%

Eggs

$2.27 ฿76.0

$5.01 TOP 12.00

-54.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.31 ฿546

$8.97 TOP 21.49

81.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.3

$5.73 TOP 13.73

-52.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.20 ฿308

$7.60 TOP 18.22

21.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.1

$2.71 TOP 6.49

-11.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.66

$2.76 TOP 6.61

-62.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.7

$2.85 TOP 6.83

-43.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.37

$3.81 TOP 9.14

-62.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.59

$3.12 TOP 7.48

-58.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.29

$2.65 TOP 6.35

-58.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ฿23.55

$2.18 TOP 5.24

-67.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.99

$1.37 TOP 3.27

-62.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 ฿138

$10.09 TOP 24.19

-59.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 ฿595

$17.24 TOP 41.33

3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.7

$3.24 TOP 7.77

-49.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.0

$3.38 TOP 8.09

-15.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.76

$2.05 TOP 4.92

-58.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ฿1,780

$41.49 TOP 99.4

28.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿40.81

$2.10 TOP 5.04

-41.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ฿18.81

$2.07 TOP 4.96

-72.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 ฿77.5

$41.58 TOP 99.7

-94.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$1.47 TOP 3.51

2.04%

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

$20.9K ฿698.3K

$5,703 TOP 13.7K

265.70%

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

$26.7K ฿895.0K

$8,292 TOP 19.9K

222.41%

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

$61.3 ฿2,051

$188 TOP 451

-67.44%

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

$12.50 ฿419

$21.78 TOP 52.2

-42.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.36 ฿682

$126 TOP 303

-83.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.94 ฿1,270

$30.90 TOP 74.1

22.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿126

$41.51 TOP 99.5

-90.92%

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 ฿221

$41.13 TOP 98.6

-83.95%

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

$774 ฿25.9K

$161 TOP 385

381.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿483.2K

$247 TOP 593

5737.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ฿1,835

$14.46 TOP 34.65

278.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.26 ฿846

$17.82 TOP 42.71

41.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 ฿3,032

$20.91 TOP 50.1

333.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ฿2,453

$29.00 TOP 69.5

152.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$459 ฿15.4K

$630 TOP 1,511

-27.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ฿9,835

$50.8 TOP 122

478.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 ฿30.8K

$842 TOP 2,018

9.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$568 TOP 1,362

-2.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.2K

$421 TOP 1,009

355.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.4K

$251 TOP 602

474.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ฿19.8K

$678 TOP 1,625

-12.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Tonga: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8%

Tonga

$51 4.7% 82.7% $243

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6%

Tonga

$290 27.1% 22.9% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9%

Tonga

$37 3.5% 66.3% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Tonga

$336 31.4% 257% $242

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4%

Tonga

$182 17% 136% $105

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Tonga

$62 5.8% 2.5% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Tonga

$113 10.6% 121% $62

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇴 Tonga

🕒 Local time

15:32 3:32 PM

21:32 9:32 PM

6 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

108,020

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Tongan Paʻanga TOP T$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 TOP = 0.417 USD

1 TOP = 0.372 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TOP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Tongan Paʻanga exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.4 TOP (1 TOP = 0.417 USD). 1 EUR = 2.69 TOP (1 TOP = 0.372 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Tonga 10,340 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Tonga

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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