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

😐 Solo nomad: Forbes is 58.3% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 162.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Forbes is 111.1% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 136.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.27 A$23.27

$2.03 ฿64.8

701.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.6 A$110

$18.59 ฿594

312.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.54 A$13.64

$7.48 ฿239

27.54%

Cappuccino

$3.52 A$5.03

$2.00 ฿63.8

76.00%

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

$2.51 A$3.58

$0.85 ฿27.08

195.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 A$3.10

$0.35 ฿11.24

520.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.57 A$9.39

$2.21 ฿70.7

197.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.07 A$10.11

$3.76 ฿120

88.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.13

$1.72 ฿54.9

-13.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 A$3.50

$1.63 ฿52.2

50.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 A$2.89

$1.16 ฿37.04

74.14%

Eggs

$4.36 A$6.23

$1.98 ฿63.3

120.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.64 A$12.36

$15.93 ฿509

-45.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.24 A$11.78

$3.17 ฿101

159.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.69 A$19.57

$10.90 ฿349

25.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 A$4.61

$2.65 ฿84.6

21.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.71 A$3.88

$1.22 ฿39.09

122.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 A$4.23

$1.70 ฿54.3

74.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 A$5.77

$1.59 ฿50.8

153.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.40 A$3.43

$1.32 ฿42.33

81.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 A$3.14

$1.17 ฿37.36

88.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 A$3.11

$0.68 ฿21.67

220.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 A$2.18

$0.56 ฿17.81

173.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$30.50 A$43.61

$4.51 ฿144

576.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.55 A$22.24

$19.07 ฿610

-18.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.62 A$6.61

$1.77 ฿56.6

161.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.25 A$7.51

$3.18 ฿102

65.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 A$3.65

$0.96 ฿30.78

165.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.2 A$94.7

$18.90 ฿604

250.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 A$5.06

$1.36 ฿43.41

160.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 A$2.19

$1.35 ฿43.23

13.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.18 A$48.88

$8.03 ฿257

325.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 A$1.69

$1.24 ฿39.74

-4.84%

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

$29.1K A$41.6K

$21.2K ฿676.6K

37.54%

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

$22.1K A$31.7K

$21.8K ฿695.5K

1.77%

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

$187 A$267

$71.2 ฿2,277

162.39%

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

$27.37 A$39.14

$14.09 ฿450

94.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.5 A$76.6

$17.47 ฿559

206.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.96 A$68.6

$42.07 ฿1,345

14.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.65 A$22.38

$6.88 ฿220

127.47%

Cinema Ticket

$13.21 A$18.90

$5.94 ฿190

122.39%

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

$1,626 A$2,326

$307 ฿9,827

429.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K A$17.1K

$14.8K ฿473.0K

-19.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 A$97.7

$55.7 ฿1,780

22.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.62 A$71.0

$26.79 ฿856

85.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.4 A$139

$83.2 ฿2,661

17.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 A$151

$70.1 ฿2,241

50.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 A$1,827

$427 ฿13.7K

198.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,046 A$1,496

$237 ฿7,580

341.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,026 A$2,897

$802 ฿25.6K

152.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,689 A$2,415

$503 ฿16.1K

235.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,782 A$8,268

$2,061 ฿65.9K

180.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,511 A$7,880

$1,533 ฿49.0K

259.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$654 ฿20.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.34

26.80%

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

Last update for Forbes: 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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