Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Rai and Da Nang

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Rai: $713 a month against $866 in Da Nang, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Da Nang outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

35

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Rai
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Chiang Rai Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Da Nang
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Da Nang Living Index

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Chiang Rai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$713

/mo nomad

Da Nang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Rai and in Da Nang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Rai and in Da Nang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $713 in Chiang Rai versus $866 in Da Nang.

Chiang Rai $713
Da Nang $866

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,132 in Chiang Rai versus $1,402 in Da Nang.

Chiang Rai $1,132
Da Nang $1,402

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,551 in Chiang Rai versus $1,937 in Da Nang.

Chiang Rai $1,551
Da Nang $1,937

Living in Chiang Rai costs roughly 18% less than in Da Nang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Rai 47% lower, Da Nang 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.21 ฿74.0

$2.30 ₫59.7K

-3.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.02 ฿502

$19.11 ₫494.6K

-21.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.45 ฿182

$4.54 ₫117.4K

20.04%

Cappuccino

$1.31 ฿43.76

$1.73 ₫44.7K

-24.28%

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

$0.62 ฿20.71

$0.60 ₫15.5K

3.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ฿8.96

$0.34 ₫8,807

-20.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.38 ₫35.9K

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 ฿121

$2.35 ₫60.8K

54.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 ฿66.0

$1.59 ₫41.1K

23.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.09

$1.23 ₫31.7K

14.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.17 ฿39.25

$1.05 ₫27.1K

11.43%

Eggs

$1.87 ฿62.5

$1.49 ₫38.5K

25.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.72 ฿559

$13.26 ₫343.2K

26.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.73 ฿91.2

$4.25 ₫110.1K

-35.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.35 ฿312

$9.57 ₫247.8K

-2.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 ฿80.8

$2.64 ₫68.3K

-8.33%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 ฿28.67

$1.20 ₫31.2K

-28.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.3

$1.31 ₫34.0K

16.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.87 ฿28.95

$1.53 ₫39.5K

-43.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.27

$1.14 ₫29.6K

13.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 ฿35.97

$1.31 ₫33.9K

-17.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.19

$1.03 ₫26.8K

-30.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.39

$0.53 ₫13.7K

-1.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ฿126

$1.51 ₫39.2K

150.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.54 ฿586

$7.54 ₫195.2K

132.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 ฿53.0

$0.93 ₫24.2K

70.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.0

$2.17 ₫56.2K

32.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ฿27.77

$0.35 ₫8,963

137.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.15 ฿740

$5.01 ₫129.6K

342.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.43

$1.04 ₫26.9K

13.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ฿18.76

$0.56 ₫14.5K

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$19.19 ₫496.8K

-87.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ฿45.62

$0.89 ₫23.1K

53.93%

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

$20.9K ฿698.8K

$30.4K ₫788.3M

-31.33%

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

$27.1K ฿906.6K

$28.1K ₫726.2M

-3.29%

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

$61.5 ฿2,055

$78.5 ₫2.0M

-21.70%

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

$12.14 ฿406

$6.17 ₫159.8K

96.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.57 ฿454

$8.35 ₫216.1K

62.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.83 ฿1,197

$25.33 ₫655.7K

41.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.80 ฿194

$5.45 ₫141.0K

6.42%

Cinema Ticket

$2.89 ฿96.7

$3.29 ₫85.1K

-12.16%

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

$770 ฿25.7K

$160 ₫4.2M

379.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K ฿487.9K

$14.9K ₫385.9M

-2.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ฿1,824

$44.73 ₫1.2M

22.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.10 ฿839

$27.90 ₫722.2K

-10.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.9 ฿2,502

$102 ₫2.6M

-26.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.1 ฿2,444

$81.1 ₫2.1M

-9.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$229 ฿7,669

$532 ₫13.8M

-56.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$154 ฿5,141

$346 ₫9.0M

-55.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$502 ฿16.8K

$1,039 ₫26.9M

-51.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 ฿11.9K

$794 ₫20.6M

-55.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,910 ฿63.8K

$3,852 ₫99.7M

-50.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$955 ฿31.9K

$1,328 ₫34.4M

-28.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$585 ฿19.6K

$354 ₫9.2M

65.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.72

-48.04%

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

Last update for Chiang Rai: October 19, 2026

Last update for Da Nang: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Rai

$230 32.2%

Da Nang

$202 23.3% 12% $28

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Rai

$154 21.6%

Da Nang

$346 39.9% 125% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Rai

$102 14.4%

Da Nang

$115 13.3% 12.4% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Rai

$87 12.2%

Da Nang

$93 10.7% 6.7% $5.9

Eating Out

Chiang Rai

$69 9.6%

Da Nang

$68 7.9% 0.7% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Rai

$42 5.8%

Da Nang

$32 3.7% 23.4% $9.7

Getting Around

Chiang Rai

$29 4.1%

Da Nang

$10 1.2% 65.3% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $229 in Chiang Rai and $532 in Da Nang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Rai pays 65% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $15.00 in Chiang Rai vs $19.00 in Da Nang. Groceries flip the comparison at $230 vs $202, with Da Nang cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Rai

🇻🇳 Da Nang

🕒 Local time

11:31 11:31 AM

Same time as Chiang Rai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,672

1,245,200

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Rai Da Nang 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Rai
Da Nang

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 Rai vs Da Nang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Rai and Da Nang differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($713 vs $866 including rent). Chiang Rai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 65% higher in Chiang Rai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $229 in Chiang Rai versus $532 in Da Nang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $770 in Chiang Rai versus $160 in Da Nang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Da Nang pay roughly 14% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Chiang Rai gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Chiang Rai and Da Nang are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiang Rai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Da Nang. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.