Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ucar

For one person, living is cheaper in Ucar: $626 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Ucar
Learn more

Ucar Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Ucar

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

$626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $626 in Ucar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Ucar $626

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,047 in Ucar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Ucar $1,047

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,469 in Ucar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Ucar $1,469

Chiang Mai costs about 49% more than Ucar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Ucar are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Ucar 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$8.93 ₼15.18

-74.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$40.26 ₼68.4

-52.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$8.23 ₼13.99

-32.56%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.54 ₼6.01

-52.82%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.12 ₼1.91

-42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.58 ₼0.99

-46.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.71 ₼2.90

38.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.85 ₼4.85

28.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.51 ₼2.57

29.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.48 ₼0.82

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.49 ₼4.23

-46.59%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.07 ₼3.51

10.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$5.13 ₼8.72

220.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$5.11 ₼8.68

-45.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.90 ₼20.23

-21.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.33 ₼2.27

76.69%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.81 ₼3.08

-46.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.56 ₼2.64

2.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.80 ₼3.05

-16.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.78 ₼1.33

64.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.61 ₼1.03

80.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.78 ₼1.32

-8.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.77 ₼1.30

-36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.95 ₼5.02

40.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$8.81 ₼14.97

98.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.55 ₼2.63

3.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.80 ₼4.77

-0.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$2.02 ₼3.44

-42.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.57 ₼0.96

-7.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$3.61 ₼6.14

-32.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.70 ₼1.19

107.14%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$23.5K ₼39.9K

-10.41%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$22.6K ₼38.4K

19.24%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$66.0 ₼112

-5.76%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$11.35 ₼19.30

7.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$15.10 ₼25.67

33.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.64 ₼9.58

15.07%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$323 ₼549

127.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$6,713 ₼11.4K

119.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$66.5 ₼113

-19.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$54.9 ₼93.4

-55.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$125 ₼212

-26.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$117 ₼199

-38.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.46

-41.12%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ucar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Ucar

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Ucar

$194 31% 17% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Ucar

$164 26.1% 50.5% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Ucar

$92 14.8% 2.1% $2

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Ucar

$160 25.5% 106% $82

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ucar

$4.9 * 0.8% 92.1% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ucar

$11 * 1.8% 77.6% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $40 in Ucar. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $194 in Ucar – so Ucar wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇦🇿 Ucar

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

21:46 9:46 PM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

18,300

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Azerbaijani Manat AZN ₼

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 AZN = 0.588 USD

1 AZN = 0.529 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AZN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Azerbaijani Manat exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.7 AZN (1 AZN = 0.588 USD). 1 EUR = 1.89 AZN (1 AZN = 0.529 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Ucar 5,420 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ucar

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 Ucar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 49% more than Ucar, 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 $939 in Ucar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $40 in Ucar. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% 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.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $626 in Ucar to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.