Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Derry and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,739 in Derry, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Derry
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Derry Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Derry

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$1,739

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,739 per month in Derry vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Derry $1,739
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,610 per month in Derry vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Derry $2,610
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $3,481 per month in Derry vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Derry $3,481
Chiang Mai $1,903

Derry costs about 88% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Derry sits 28% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.59 £13.95

$2.29 ฿76.5

711.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.3 £54.2

$19.64 ฿656

267.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.86 £8.14

$5.61 ฿188

93.58%

Cappuccino

$4.01 £3.01

$1.66 ฿55.6

141.57%

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

$2.24 £1.68

$0.70 ฿23.40

220.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 £1.22

$0.31 ฿10.24

425.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.42 £4.07

$2.41 ฿80.4

124.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 £4.53

$3.71 ฿124

62.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 £1.21

$1.95 ฿65.3

-17.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.41 ฿47.03

-5.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 £1.56

$1.31 ฿43.62

58.78%

Eggs

$3.30 £2.48

$2.18 ฿72.9

51.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.45 £5.59

$16.65 ฿556

-55.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.99 £6.74

$2.76 ฿92.2

225.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.91 £12.68

$9.11 ฿304

85.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 £1.97

$2.39 ฿80.0

9.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 £0.96

$1.03 ฿34.26

24.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.77 £2.08

$1.63 ฿54.4

69.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.30 £2.48

$1.50 ฿50.0

120.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 £1.01

$1.29 ฿43.13

3.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 £1.02

$1.11 ฿37.03

22.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 £0.71

$0.72 ฿24.08

31.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 £1.17

$0.53 ฿17.59

194.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.54 £16.16

$4.31 ฿144

399.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.59 £7.94

$17.95 ฿600

-41.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 £1.92

$1.58 ฿52.9

62.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 £2.55

$2.84 ฿95.0

19.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.71 £2.78

$0.86 ฿28.86

331.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.9 £73.4

$53.3 ฿1,780

83.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 £4.02

$1.21 ฿40.29

342.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 £0.89

$0.57 ฿18.99

108.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.47 £25.86

$2.35 ฿78.6

1366.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 £1.41

$1.44 ฿47.96

30.56%

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

$38.1K £28.6K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

83.97%

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

$41.1K £30.8K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

53.31%

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

$131 £98.6

$62.3 ฿2,083

110.91%

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

$15.79 £11.85

$12.11 ฿405

30.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.21 £31.67

$19.94 ฿666

111.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.29 £26.47

$37.07 ฿1,239

-4.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.36 £10.02

$3.78 ฿126

253.44%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 £7.95

$6.50 ฿217

62.92%

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

$925 £694

$793 ฿26.5K

16.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K £16.7K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

50.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.7 £71.1

$53.7 ฿1,796

76.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.13 £30.11

$24.62 ฿823

63.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 £78.8

$90.9 ฿3,036

15.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.4 £46.83

$71.1 ฿2,378

-12.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$844 £633

$455 ฿15.2K

85.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$662 £497

$298 ฿9,954

122.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,303 £978

$908 ฿30.4K

43.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$993 £745

$554 ฿18.5K

79.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,591 £3,444

$1,931 ฿64.5K

137.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,837 £2,879

$1,445 ฿48.3K

165.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

5.57

-14.00%

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

Last update for Derry: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Derry

$662 38.1%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 55% $364

Groceries & Markets

Derry

$287 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 18.1% $52

Eating Out

Derry

$284 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 72.3% $205

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Derry

$189 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 50.2% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Derry

$136 7.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 20.5% $28

Getting Around

Derry

$124 7.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 51% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Derry

$56 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 11.4% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $844 in Derry versus $455 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 $72.0 in Derry versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Derry

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

09:27 9:27 AM

6 h ahead of Derry

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,016

127,240

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Derry Chiang Mai 9,300 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Derry
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

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

Derry costs about 88% 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 $2,609 per month in Derry and $1,388 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $925 per month in Derry and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Derry, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Derry at $1,739. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Derry it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,739 in Derry. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

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