Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Derby, Australia and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,353 in Derby, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Derby
Learn more

Derby Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Derby

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,353

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Derby 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 Derby and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,353 per month in Derby vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Derby $2,353
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,668 per month in Derby vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Derby $3,668
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,983 per month in Derby vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Derby $4,983
Chiang Mai $1,979

Derby costs about 152% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Derby sits 73% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.57 A$27.81

$2.24 ฿75.7

773.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 A$118

$19.00 ฿642

338.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 A$15.71

$5.55 ฿188

99.28%

Cappuccino

$4.55 A$6.47

$1.67 ฿56.6

172.46%

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

$2.82 A$4.01

$0.64 ฿21.56

340.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 A$3.56

$0.31 ฿10.32

709.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.62 A$9.40

$2.36 ฿79.6

180.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.46 A$12.02

$3.66 ฿124

131.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.89

$1.95 ฿65.8

-31.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 A$4.12

$1.44 ฿48.51

101.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 A$3.16

$1.33 ฿45.07

66.92%

Eggs

$4.96 A$7.04

$2.28 ฿77.1

117.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.02 A$11.40

$16.45 ฿556

-51.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.45 A$14.85

$2.78 ฿94.0

275.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.37 A$19.00

$9.31 ฿314

43.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.94 A$5.60

$2.35 ฿79.5

67.66%

Banana (1kg)

$3.50 A$4.98

$0.97 ฿32.82

260.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 A$4.42

$1.60 ฿53.9

94.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.32 A$6.14

$1.50 ฿50.7

188.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 A$3.68

$1.28 ฿43.15

102.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 A$3.89

$1.10 ฿37.22

149.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 A$3.16

$0.71 ฿23.84

212.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 A$2.18

$0.49 ฿16.38

212.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.60 A$54.9

$4.14 ฿140

832.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.18 A$17.30

$17.52 ฿592

-30.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.95 A$7.04

$1.61 ฿54.5

207.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.67 A$6.63

$2.78 ฿94.0

67.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 A$3.78

$0.87 ฿29.33

205.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.0 A$102

$54.1 ฿1,827

33.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.03 A$5.72

$1.16 ฿39.08

247.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.27

$0.53 ฿17.82

201.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.43 A$51.8

$2.42 ฿81.8

1405.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.45 ฿48.93

-5.52%

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

$25.6K A$36.3K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

21.44%

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

$28.8K A$41.0K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

7.06%

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

$184 A$262

$62.2 ฿2,100

196.16%

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

$23.63 A$33.58

$12.17 ฿411

94.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 A$75.3

$20.12 ฿680

163.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.3 A$91.4

$37.31 ฿1,260

72.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.35 A$23.24

$3.77 ฿127

333.69%

Cinema Ticket

$14.87 A$21.13

$6.49 ฿219

129.12%

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

$2,188 A$3,109

$736 ฿24.9K

197.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K A$30.5K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

45.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 A$121

$53.4 ฿1,802

59.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.33 A$70.1

$24.64 ฿832

100.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 A$171

$91.5 ฿3,089

31.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 A$185

$71.9 ฿2,429

81.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 A$2,003

$482 ฿16.3K

192.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 A$1,497

$309 ฿10.4K

241.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,991 A$2,829

$1,006 ฿34.0K

97.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 A$2,898

$633 ฿21.4K

222.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,153 A$8,742

$2,363 ฿79.8K

160.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,074 A$7,210

$1,589 ฿53.7K

219.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.57

5.92%

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

Last update for Derby: 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

Derby

$1.1K 44.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 70.7% $745

Groceries & Markets

Derby

$361 15.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 35.1% $127

Eating Out

Derby

$316 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 75.4% $238

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Derby

$261 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 63.8% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Derby

$173 7.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 37.3% $65

Getting Around

Derby

$95 4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 35.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Derby

$94 4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 46.5% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,410 in Derby 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 $83 in Derby versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $361 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Derby

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

22:09 10:09 PM

1 h behind Derby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,300

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Derby Chiang Mai 4,830 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Derby
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

Derby vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Derby costs about 152% 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,530 per month in Derby and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,410 in Derby.

Kindergarten costs $2,188 per month in Derby and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 54% more in Derby, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,353 in Derby and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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.

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.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 152% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.