Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dili and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,574 in Dili, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Dili
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Dili Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Dili

🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

$1,574

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,574 per month in Dili vs $906 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dili $1,574
Chiang Mai $906

A couple spends around $2,466 per month in Dili vs $1,385 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dili $2,466
Chiang Mai $1,385

A family of three spends $3,359 per month in Dili vs $1,864 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dili $3,359
Chiang Mai $1,864

Dili costs about 74% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dili sits 17% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.13 $5.13

$2.13 ฿71.4

140.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.43 $42.43

$19.40 ฿649

118.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.91 $7.91

$5.47 ฿183

44.61%

Cappuccino

$4.18 $4.18

$1.68 ฿56.4

148.81%

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

$1.63 $1.63

$0.66 ฿22.10

146.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$0.34 ฿11.52

711.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 $2.57

$2.42 ฿81.0

6.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 $4.46

$3.73 ฿125

19.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.37 $2.37

$2.06 ฿68.9

15.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.46 ฿48.78

72.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.35 ฿45.09

-28.89%

Eggs

$2.68 $2.68

$2.27 ฿76.0

18.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.05 $2.05

$16.31 ฿546

-87.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 $9.41

$2.70 ฿90.3

248.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.78 $15.78

$9.20 ฿308

71.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$2.39 ฿80.1

37.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.04 ฿34.66

77.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$1.60 ฿53.7

55.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$1.44 ฿48.37

56.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.30 ฿43.59

-4.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$1.11 ฿37.29

3.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 $0.85

$0.70 ฿23.55

21.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.51 ฿16.99

92.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 $3.08

$4.13 ฿138

-25.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.95 $11.95

$17.78 ฿595

-32.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$1.63 ฿54.7

34.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.87 ฿96.0

0.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 $0.24

$0.86 ฿28.76

-72.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.78 $29.78

$53.2 ฿1,780

-43.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 $3.52

$1.22 ฿40.81

188.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.58 $3.58

$0.56 ฿18.81

539.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.75 $19.75

$2.31 ฿77.5

754.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 $1.44

$1.50 ฿50.2

-4.00%

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

$18.0K $18.0K

$20.9K ฿698.3K

-13.78%

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

$16.7K $16.7K

$26.7K ฿895.0K

-37.45%

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

$152 $152

$61.3 ฿2,051

147.71%

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

$27.49 $27.49

$12.50 ฿419

119.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.36 ฿682

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.46 $49.46

$37.94 ฿1,270

30.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.17 $6.17

$6.60 ฿221

-6.52%

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

$1,477 $1,477

$774 ฿25.9K

90.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K $16.1K

$14.4K ฿483.2K

11.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.0 $61.0

$54.8 ฿1,835

11.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.46 $30.46

$25.26 ฿846

20.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 $79.3

$90.6 ฿3,032

-12.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.3 $60.3

$73.3 ฿2,453

-17.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$831 $831

$459 ฿15.4K

81.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 $759

$294 ฿9,835

158.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,739 $2,739

$919 ฿30.8K

198.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,504 $1,504

$552 ฿18.5K

172.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,656 $3,656

$592 ฿19.8K

517.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

5.57

-3.59%

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

Last update for Dili: October 5, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dili

$759 47.9%

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8% 61.3% $465

Groceries & Markets

Dili

$275 17.3%

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6% 14.1% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dili

$179 * 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 47.5% $85

Eating Out

Dili

$154 9.7%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4% 49.9% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Dili

$104 6.6%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9% 5.6% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Dili

$62 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 17.3% $11

Getting Around

Dili

$52 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 16.3% $8.5

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $831 in Dili versus $459 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 run about 517% higher in Dili, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Dili versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $236 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇱 Dili

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:54 4:54 PM

14:54 2:54 PM

2 h behind Dili

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

222,323 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dili Chiang Mai 4,210 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dili
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

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

Dili costs about 74% 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 $2,361 per month in Dili and $1,359 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 $1,477 per month in Dili and $774 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Dili, 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 $906, than in Dili at $1,574. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dili it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $906 versus $1,574 in Dili. 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, Dili makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.