Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Zhubei City

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,029 in Zhubei City, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Zhubei City despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Zhubei City
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Zhubei City Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Zhubei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,029

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Zhubei City

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,029 in Zhubei City, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Zhubei City $1,029

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,814 in Zhubei City, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Zhubei City $1,814

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,599 in Zhubei City, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Zhubei City $2,599

Chiang Mai is about 9% cheaper than Zhubei City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Zhubei City are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Zhubei City 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$4.73 NT$154

-52.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$27.28 NT$890

-30.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.11 NT$167

8.61%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.79 NT$90.8

-40.14%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.91 NT$29.51

-29.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.57 NT$18.62

-45.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.86 NT$60.7

26.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.20 NT$71.9

66.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.76 NT$90.1

-29.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.77 NT$57.8

-18.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$4.50 NT$147

-70.44%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.74 NT$89.3

-16.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$24.58 NT$801

-33.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$8.13 NT$265

-65.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$24.77 NT$808

-62.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$4.08 NT$133

-42.40%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$2.44 NT$79.5

-60.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.73 NT$88.9

-41.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.31 NT$108

-54.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$3.05 NT$99.4

-58.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$2.02 NT$65.7

-45.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.97 NT$64.3

-63.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$1.32 NT$43.00

-62.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.94 NT$129

5.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$9.10 NT$297

92.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.41 NT$45.88

14.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.25 NT$73.5

23.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.59 NT$19.18

47.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$3.08 NT$101

-62.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.59 NT$19.10

-10.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$9.28 NT$302

-73.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.02 NT$33.33

42.16%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$33.2K NT$1.1M

-36.66%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$24.0K NT$783.2K

12.16%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$98.5 NT$3,211

-36.88%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$18.80 NT$613

-35.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$22.96 NT$749

-12.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$31.27 NT$1,019

19.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$9.95 NT$325

-34.77%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$642 NT$20.9K

14.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$16.5K NT$537.1K

-10.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$56.1 NT$1,830

-4.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$30.46 NT$993

-19.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$89.7 NT$2,926

1.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$98.4 NT$3,207

-26.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$495 NT$16.1K

-2.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$208 NT$6,773

48.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,060 NT$34.6K

-5.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$776 NT$25.3K

-18.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$15.8K NT$514.7K

-85.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$9,406 NT$306.7K

-83.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,393 NT$78.0K

-75.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.4

132.08%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Zhubei City: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Zhubei City

$208 20.2% 32.8% $101

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Zhubei City

$392 38.1% 67.3% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Zhubei City

$124 12% 13.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Zhubei City

$140 13.6% 48.5% $46

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Zhubei City

$106 10.3% 37% $29

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Zhubei City

$8.4 * 0.8% 86.4% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Zhubei City

$51 5% 1.8% $0.9

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 $495 in Zhubei City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Zhubei City are about 4.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $27 in Zhubei City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $392 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇼 Zhubei City

🕒 Local time

15:15 3:15 PM

16:15 4:15 PM

1 h ahead of Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

211,746

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.39 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Zhubei City 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Zhubei City

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 Zhubei City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhubei City costs about 10% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $1,544 in Zhubei City. 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 $495 in Zhubei City. 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 $27 in Zhubei City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 67% more in Zhubei City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,029 in Zhubei City. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,029 in Zhubei City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Zhubei City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.