Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Vacoas

For one person, living is cheaper in Vacoas: $750 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Vacoas
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Vacoas Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Vacoas

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $750 in Vacoas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Vacoas $750

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,104 in Vacoas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Vacoas $1,104

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,458 in Vacoas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Vacoas $1,458

Chiang Mai costs about 25% more than Vacoas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Vacoas are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Vacoas 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$5.95 MUR 280

-62.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$32.47 MUR 1,530

-41.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.31 MUR 297

-12.04%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.58 MUR 122

-35.27%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.15 MUR 54.0

-44.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.62 MUR 29.22

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.66 MUR 125

-11.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.91 MUR 184

-6.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.40 MUR 65.8

39.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.73 MUR 34.38

97.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.16 MUR 54.6

14.66%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.24 MUR 106

1.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$2.71 MUR 128

507.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.62 MUR 124

6.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.51 MUR 542

-19.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.59 MUR 122

-9.27%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$2.22 MUR 104

-56.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.43 MUR 67.4

11.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.90 MUR 136

-48.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.02 MUR 47.88

25.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.01 MUR 47.59

8.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.75 MUR 35.16

-5.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.72 MUR 33.96

-31.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.30 MUR 297

-34.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.42 MUR 303

172.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.45 MUR 68.3

11.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.37 MUR 112

17.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$1.30 MUR 61.4

-33.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$4.24 MUR 200

-72.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$3.25 MUR 153

-83.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$4.16 MUR 196

-41.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.41 MUR 66.5

2.84%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$29.6K MUR 1.4M

-28.85%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$31.5K MUR 1.5M

-14.46%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$44.84 MUR 2,113

38.65%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.49 MUR 495

16.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$24.48 MUR 1,154

-17.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$25.26 MUR 1,191

47.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.33 MUR 251

21.76%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$126 MUR 5,934

484.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$7,579 MUR 357.2K

94.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$31.56 MUR 1,487

69.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$38.24 MUR 1,802

-35.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$64.3 MUR 3,030

42.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$47.72 MUR 2,249

50.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$262 MUR 12.4K

83.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$223 MUR 10.5K

38.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$472 MUR 22.3K

113.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$231 MUR 10.9K

174.80%

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

$688 MUR 32.4K

-14.23%

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 Vacoas: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Vacoas

$223 29.7% 27.8% $86

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Vacoas

$179 23.8% 23.8% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Vacoas

$82 10.9% 24.7% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Vacoas

$80 10.6% 15.5% $15

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Vacoas

$126 16.7% 61.9% $48

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Vacoas

$26 * 3.4% 58.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Vacoas

$36 4.8% 28.5% $14

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 $262 in Vacoas. 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 17% higher in Vacoas, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $32 in Vacoas. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $179 in Vacoas – so Vacoas wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇺 Vacoas

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

05:01 5:01 AM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

115,289

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.9 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 = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 47.13 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.62 MUR (100 MUR = 1.9 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Vacoas 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Vacoas

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 Vacoas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 25% more than Vacoas, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,126 in Vacoas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vacoas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $262 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

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

Groceries cost about 31% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Vacoas – 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.