Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dong Xoai and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Dong Xoai: $784 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Dong Xoai
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Dong Xoai Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Dong Xoai

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$784

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $784 per month in Dong Xoai vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dong Xoai $784
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,254 per month in Dong Xoai vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dong Xoai $1,254
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,724 per month in Dong Xoai vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dong Xoai $1,724
Chiang Mai $1,979

Dong Xoai is about 16% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Dong Xoai and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Dong Xoai 42% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.04 ₫52.7K

$2.24 ฿75.7

-8.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.01 ₫491.0K

$19.00 ฿642

0.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.39 ₫113.4K

$5.55 ฿188

-20.90%

Cappuccino

$1.71 ₫44.3K

$1.67 ฿56.6

2.40%

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

$0.54 ₫14.1K

$0.64 ฿21.56

-15.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₫8,595

$0.31 ฿10.32

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.86 ₫22.3K

$2.36 ฿79.6

-63.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 ₫38.8K

$3.66 ฿124

-59.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₫40.1K

$1.95 ฿65.8

-20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 ₫27.6K

$1.44 ฿48.51

-25.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 ₫26.8K

$1.33 ฿45.07

-21.80%

Eggs

$1.49 ₫38.5K

$2.28 ฿77.1

-34.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 ₫317.7K

$16.45 ฿556

-25.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.81 ₫98.5K

$2.78 ฿94.0

37.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 ₫249.9K

$9.31 ฿314

3.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 ₫77.2K

$2.35 ฿79.5

27.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 ₫28.4K

$0.97 ฿32.82

13.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 ₫35.6K

$1.60 ฿53.9

-13.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 ₫31.6K

$1.50 ฿50.7

-18.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.28 ฿43.15

-21.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 ₫29.2K

$1.10 ฿37.22

2.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ₫17.2K

$0.71 ฿23.84

-5.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₫14.6K

$0.49 ฿16.38

16.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.39 ₫36.0K

$4.14 ฿140

-66.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.60 ₫299.6K

$17.52 ฿592

-33.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₫23.3K

$1.61 ฿54.5

-44.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ₫42.8K

$2.78 ฿94.0

-40.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 ₫8,886

$0.87 ฿29.33

-60.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.52 ₫168.5K

$54.1 ฿1,827

-87.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₫19.5K

$1.16 ฿39.08

-34.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₫15.5K

$0.53 ฿17.82

13.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 ₫65.2K

$2.42 ฿81.8

4.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 ₫24.1K

$1.45 ฿48.93

-35.86%

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

$31.3K ₫807.6M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

48.47%

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

$28.4K ₫734.8M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

5.58%

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

$78.3 ₫2.0M

$62.2 ฿2,100

25.99%

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

$5.93 ₫153.3K

$12.17 ฿411

-51.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.75 ₫226.0K

$20.12 ฿680

-56.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.21 ₫599.5K

$37.31 ฿1,260

-37.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.54 ₫194.7K

$3.77 ฿127

100.00%

Cinema Ticket

$3.33 ₫86.1K

$6.49 ฿219

-48.69%

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

$191 ₫4.9M

$736 ฿24.9K

-74.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.9K ₫358.4M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-6.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.29 ₫1.2M

$53.4 ฿1,802

-13.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.86 ₫693.9K

$24.64 ฿832

9.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.4 ₫2.2M

$91.5 ฿3,089

-8.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.6 ₫2.0M

$71.9 ฿2,429

9.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$413 ₫10.7M

$482 ฿16.3K

-14.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 ₫7.3M

$309 ฿10.4K

-8.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$798 ₫20.6M

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-20.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 ₫16.2M

$633 ฿21.4K

-1.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,258 ₫58.3M

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-4.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,202 ₫31.0M

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-24.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.28

5.57

48.65%

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

Last update for Dong Xoai: 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

Dong Xoai

$282 36%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 9.4% $27

Groceries & Markets

Dong Xoai

$200 25.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 17% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Dong Xoai

$106 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 2.7% $2.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dong Xoai

$93 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 1.5% $1.4

Eating Out

Dong Xoai

$61 7.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 27.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Dong Xoai

$30 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 68.3% $20

Getting Around

Dong Xoai

$12 1.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 426% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $413 in Dong Xoai 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 $19 in Dong Xoai versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $234 – making Dong Xoai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Dong Xoai

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

Same time as Dong Xoai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 25,832 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,750 VND (100,000 VND = 3.48 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 VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dong Xoai Chiang Mai 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Dong Xoai
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

Dong Xoai vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 19% more than Dong Xoai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,176 per month in Dong Xoai 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 Dong Xoai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $413 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Public transport costs about 88% less in Dong Xoai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $784 in Dong Xoai and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Dong Xoai – 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.