Cost of Living Comparison Between Elgin and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Elgin and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Elgin is 85.3% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 104.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Elgin is 78.2% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 113.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Elgin
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.13 £13.60
$2.03 ฿64.2
793.10%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.8 £60.6
$18.59 ฿588
334.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.61 £4.96
$7.48 ฿237
-11.63%
Cappuccino
$4.17 £3.12
$2.00 ฿63.2
108.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.39 £1.04
$0.85 ฿26.81
63.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34 £1.01
$0.35 ฿11.13
282.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.62 £3.46
$2.21 ฿70.0
109.05%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.55 £4.16
$3.76 ฿119
47.61%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Elgin
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.71 £1.28
$1.72 ฿54.4
-0.58%
White Bread (500g)
$1.71 £1.28
$1.63 ฿51.7
4.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.65 £1.99
$1.16 ฿36.66
128.45%
Eggs
$3.93 £2.95
$1.98 ฿62.6
98.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.87 £7.40
$15.93 ฿504
-38.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.22 £6.91
$3.17 ฿100
190.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.46 £10.10
$10.90 ฿345
23.49%
Apples (1kg)
$3.37 £2.53
$2.65 ฿83.7
27.17%
Banana (1kg)
$1.01 £0.76
$1.22 ฿38.70
-17.21%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.08 £1.56
$1.70 ฿53.7
22.35%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.72 £2.79
$1.59 ฿50.3
133.96%
Potato (1kg)
$0.70 £0.53
$1.32 ฿41.90
-46.97%
Onion (1kg)
$1.16 £0.87
$1.17 ฿36.99
-0.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.60 £0.45
$0.68 ฿21.46
-11.76%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.01 £0.76
$0.56 ฿17.64
80.36%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$20.79 £15.59
$4.51 ฿143
360.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.92 £8.19
$19.07 ฿604
-42.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.90 £2.17
$1.77 ฿56.0
63.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.26 £2.45
$3.18 ฿101
2.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Elgin
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.50 £3.38
$0.96 ฿30.47
368.75%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$124 £92.7
$18.90 ฿598
553.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.40 £4.05
$1.36 ฿42.98
297.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.37 £1.77
$1.35 ฿42.80
75.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.85 £20.14
$8.03 ฿254
234.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.95 £1.47
$1.24 ฿39.34
57.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.2K £29.4K
$21.2K ฿669.8K
85.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.3K £29.5K
$21.8K ฿688.5K
80.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Elgin
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$204 £153
$71.2 ฿2,255
186.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.61 £13.20
$14.09 ฿446
24.98%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.52 £30.39
$17.47 ฿553
131.94%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Elgin
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.89 £23.17
$42.07 ฿1,332
-26.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.24 £9.18
$6.88 ฿218
77.91%
Cinema Ticket
$11.02 £8.27
$5.94 ฿188
85.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Elgin
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,156 £867
$307 ฿9,728
276.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.7K £14.0K
$14.8K ฿468.2K
26.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Elgin
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$36.55 £27.41
$55.7 ฿1,762
-34.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$27.46 £20.60
$26.79 ฿848
2.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.3 £71.5
$83.2 ฿2,634
14.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$109 £81.6
$70.1 ฿2,219
55.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Elgin
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$926 £694
$427 ฿13.5K
116.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$616 £462
$237 ฿7,504
159.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,814 £1,360
$802 ฿25.4K
126.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,211 £908
$503 ฿15.9K
140.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,653 £1,989
$2,061 ฿65.2K
28.72%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,171 £1,628
$1,533 ฿48.5K
41.64%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Elgin
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,018 £1,514
$654 ฿20.7K
208.75%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.32
5
6.40%

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

Last update for Elgin: February 28, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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