Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Collie and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,643 in Collie, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Collie, Australia
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Collie
🇦🇺 Australia
$2,643
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,643 per month in Collie vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Collie $2,643
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,790 per month in Collie vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Collie $3,790
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,937 per month in Collie vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Collie $4,937
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Collie costs about 183% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Collie sits 94% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Collie
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.87 A$29.80
$2.24 ฿75.5
831.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$85.7 A$122
$19.00 ฿640
351.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.01 A$15.72
$5.55 ฿187
98.38%
Cappuccino
$4.39 A$6.27
$1.67 ฿56.4
162.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 A$4.08
$0.64 ฿21.51
346.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 A$3.23
$0.31 ฿10.29
629.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.52 A$12.17
$2.36 ฿79.5
261.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.50 A$12.14
$3.66 ฿123
132.24%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Collie
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 A$2.41
$1.95 ฿65.7
-13.33%
White Bread (500g)
$3.21 A$4.59
$1.44 ฿48.41
122.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.05 A$2.93
$1.33 ฿44.97
54.14%
Eggs
$5.32 A$7.59
$2.28 ฿77.0
133.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.03 A$12.89
$16.45 ฿554
-45.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.51 A$13.57
$2.78 ฿93.8
242.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.21 A$20.29
$9.31 ฿314
52.63%
Apples (1kg)
$4.46 A$6.37
$2.35 ฿79.3
89.79%
Banana (1kg)
$3.11 A$4.45
$0.97 ฿32.75
220.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.46 A$4.94
$1.60 ฿53.8
116.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.90 A$7.00
$1.50 ฿50.6
226.67%
Potato (1kg)
$2.88 A$4.11
$1.28 ฿43.06
125.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.91 A$2.72
$1.10 ฿37.14
73.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.21 A$3.15
$0.71 ฿23.79
211.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 A$2.01
$0.49 ฿16.34
187.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$42.49 A$60.7
$4.14 ฿140
926.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.51 A$17.87
$17.52 ฿590
-28.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.41 A$6.30
$1.61 ฿54.4
173.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.37 A$4.82
$2.78 ฿93.8
21.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Collie
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.98 A$4.26
$0.87 ฿29.27
242.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$90.8 A$130
$54.1 ฿1,823
67.85%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.66 A$5.23
$1.16 ฿39.00
215.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.45 A$2.08
$0.53 ฿17.78
173.58%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$40.54 A$57.9
$2.42 ฿81.6
1575.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.40 A$2.00
$1.45 ฿48.82
-3.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K A$43.6K
$21.1K ฿709.7K
44.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.3K A$39.0K
$26.9K ฿907.9K
1.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Collie
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$203 A$290
$62.2 ฿2,095
226.93%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.55 A$46.49
$12.17 ฿410
167.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$64.3 A$91.8
$20.12 ฿678
219.38%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Collie
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$64.4 A$92.0
$37.31 ฿1,257
72.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.30 A$24.71
$3.77 ฿127
358.89%
Cinema Ticket
$17.19 A$24.55
$6.49 ฿219
164.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Collie
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,281 A$3,257
$736 ฿24.8K
209.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.2K A$33.1K
$14.8K ฿497.6K
56.86%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Collie
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$76.4 A$109
$53.4 ฿1,799
43.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$63.3 A$90.4
$24.64 ฿830
156.90%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$125 A$179
$91.5 ฿3,083
36.69%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$163 A$233
$71.9 ฿2,424
126.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Collie
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,417 A$2,023
$482 ฿16.3K
193.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,238 A$1,769
$309 ฿10.4K
300.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,230 A$3,184
$1,006 ฿33.9K
121.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,791 A$2,557
$633 ฿21.3K
182.71%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,214 A$7,447
$2,363 ฿79.6K
120.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,540 A$6,484
$1,589 ฿53.6K
185.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Collie
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$590 ฿19.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.96
5.57
7.00%

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

Last update for Collie: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Collie
$1.2K
Chiang Mai
$309 75.1% $930
Groceries & Markets
Collie
$367
Chiang Mai
$234 36.1% $133
Eating Out
Collie
$333
Chiang Mai
$78 76.7% $255
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Collie
$300
Chiang Mai
$94 68.5% $206
Clothing & Footwear
Collie
$193
Chiang Mai
$109 43.6% $84
Getting Around
Collie
$114
Chiang Mai
$61 46% $52
Sport & Entertainment
Collie
$99
Chiang Mai
$50 49.1% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,417 in Collie versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Collie versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $367 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇦🇺 Collie
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
18:50 6:50 PM
17:50 5:50 PM
1 h behind Collie
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
7,000
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Collie Chiang Mai 6,080 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Collie
  • Chiang Mai

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
Collie vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Collie or Chiang Mai?
Collie costs about 183% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Collie and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,965 per month in Collie and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Collie or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,417 in Collie.
How do childcare costs compare in Collie and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $2,281 per month in Collie and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Collie or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 57% more in Collie, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Collie or in Chiang Mai?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,643 in Collie and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Collie compared to Chiang Mai?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 65% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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