Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Derby and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,255 in Derby, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Derby
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Derby Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Derby

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,255

/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 $2,255 per month in Derby vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Derby $2,255
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,377 per month in Derby vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Derby $3,377
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,499 per month in Derby vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Derby $4,499
Chiang Mai $1,979

Derby costs about 141% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Derby sits 66% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.57 £19.81

$2.24 ฿75.6

1086.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.0 £70.8

$19.00 ฿641

400.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 £7.99

$5.55 ฿187

93.15%

Cappuccino

$4.97 £3.70

$1.67 ฿56.5

197.60%

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

$2.52 £1.88

$0.64 ฿21.53

293.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 £1.46

$0.31 ฿10.30

532.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.82 £5.08

$2.36 ฿79.5

188.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.10 £5.30

$3.66 ฿124

93.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 £1.17

$1.95 ฿65.7

-19.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.44 ฿48.45

-0.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 £1.75

$1.33 ฿45.01

75.94%

Eggs

$3.96 £2.95

$2.28 ฿77.0

73.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.42 £6.28

$16.45 ฿555

-48.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.58 £6.40

$2.78 ฿93.8

208.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.38 £17.43

$9.31 ฿314

151.13%

Apples (1kg)

$5.42 £4.04

$2.35 ฿79.4

130.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 £2.09

$0.97 ฿32.78

188.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 £2.20

$1.60 ฿53.9

85.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.74 £2.79

$1.50 ฿50.6

149.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 £1.15

$1.28 ฿43.10

21.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.15

$1.10 ฿37.17

40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 £0.78

$0.71 ฿23.81

47.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 £1.02

$0.49 ฿16.36

179.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.73 £17.70

$4.14 ฿140

473.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.62 £7.92

$17.52 ฿591

-39.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.28 £2.45

$1.61 ฿54.5

103.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 £2.69

$2.78 ฿93.9

29.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.01 £2.99

$0.87 ฿29.29

360.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$115 £86.0

$54.1 ฿1,825

113.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.34 £3.24

$1.16 ฿39.03

274.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 £1.20

$0.53 ฿17.79

205.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.95 £23.82

$2.42 ฿81.7

1220.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.47

$1.45 ฿48.87

36.55%

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

$38.2K £28.5K

$21.1K ฿710.3K

81.62%

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

$39.9K £29.7K

$26.9K ฿908.7K

47.99%

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

$366 £273

$62.2 ฿2,097

488.26%

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

$19.97 £14.89

$12.17 ฿410

64.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.71 £29.61

$20.12 ฿679

97.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.95 £27.55

$37.31 ฿1,259

-0.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.60 £19.09

$3.77 ฿127

579.05%

Cinema Ticket

$15.22 £11.35

$6.49 ฿219

134.51%

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

$1,912 £1,426

$736 ฿24.8K

159.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K £15.1K

$14.8K ฿498.0K

37.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 £85.3

$53.4 ฿1,800

114.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 £43.22

$24.64 ฿831

135.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.2 £65.0

$91.5 ฿3,086

-4.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.1 £73.1

$71.9 ฿2,426

36.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 £706

$482 ฿16.3K

96.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$746 £556

$309 ฿10.4K

141.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,532 £1,142

$1,006 ฿33.9K

52.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 £899

$633 ฿21.4K

90.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,201 £3,132

$2,363 ฿79.7K

77.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,055 £2,278

$1,589 ฿53.6K

92.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,541 £2,640

$590 ฿19.9K

500.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.88

5.57

-12.39%

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

Last update for Derby: October 25, 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

$746 33.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 58.6% $437

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Derby

$425 18.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 77.8% $331

Eating Out

Derby

$371 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 79.1% $293

Groceries & Markets

Derby

$341 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 31.3% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Derby

$161 7.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 32.5% $52

Getting Around

Derby

$144 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 57.3% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Derby

$67 3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 25.4% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $947 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.

Salaries in Derby are about 6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $95 in Derby versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $341 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Derby

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

20:51 8:51 PM

7 h ahead of Derby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

233,700

127,240

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.746 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.832 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Derby Chiang Mai 9,030 km ≈ 12 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 141% 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 $3,383 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 $947 in Derby.

Kindergarten costs $1,912 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 46% more in Derby, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,255 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.

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