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

😐 Solo nomad: Forbes is 91.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 154% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Forbes is 86.3% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 140.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.25 A$24.37

$1.97 ฿62.0

724.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.7 A$117

$18.68 ฿587

316.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.85 A$14.77

$7.92 ฿249

24.37%

Cappuccino

$3.41 A$5.11

$2.02 ฿63.7

68.81%

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

$2.58 A$3.87

$0.84 ฿26.45

207.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 A$3.19

$0.35 ฿11.07

508.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.40 A$9.60

$2.22 ฿69.9

188.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.28 A$10.92

$3.59 ฿113

102.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.21

$1.67 ฿52.4

-11.98%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 A$3.54

$1.62 ฿51.1

45.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 A$2.92

$1.20 ฿37.83

62.50%

Eggs

$4.34 A$6.51

$1.93 ฿60.8

124.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.29 A$12.44

$16.00 ฿503

-48.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.33 A$12.49

$3.16 ฿99.2

163.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.76 A$20.64

$10.93 ฿344

25.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.99

$2.67 ฿83.8

24.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 A$4.12

$1.18 ฿36.99

133.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 A$4.42

$1.64 ฿51.5

79.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 A$6.31

$1.59 ฿49.83

164.78%

Potato (1kg)

$2.51 A$3.76

$1.32 ฿41.64

90.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 A$3.25

$1.19 ฿37.49

82.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 A$3.13

$0.71 ฿22.20

192.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 A$2.39

$0.56 ฿17.75

183.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$31.29 A$46.94

$4.64 ฿146

574.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.67 A$20.50

$18.96 ฿596

-27.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.58 A$6.87

$1.77 ฿55.7

158.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 A$8.25

$3.20 ฿101

71.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 A$3.82

$0.90 ฿28.32

182.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.0 A$99.0

$19.24 ฿605

242.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 A$5.51

$1.36 ฿42.78

169.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 A$2.35

$1.35 ฿42.37

16.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 A$49.57

$8.15 ฿256

305.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 A$1.70

$1.22 ฿38.43

-7.38%

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

$29.2K A$43.7K

$21.4K ฿671.8K

36.48%

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

$22.8K A$34.2K

$21.7K ฿683.8K

4.89%

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

$184 A$277

$70.3 ฿2,210

162.36%

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

$27.36 A$41.04

$13.91 ฿437

96.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.3 A$78.5

$18.00 ฿566

190.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.71 A$74.6

$41.78 ฿1,314

18.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.76 A$23.63

$6.80 ฿214

131.76%

Cinema Ticket

$13.05 A$19.57

$5.72 ฿180

128.15%

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

$1,646 A$2,469

$308 ฿9,693

433.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K A$18.2K

$14.8K ฿465.7K

-17.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.4 A$103

$55.9 ฿1,756

22.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 A$75.3

$26.71 ฿840

87.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 A$151

$84.5 ฿2,658

18.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 A$161

$70.8 ฿2,227

51.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,283 A$1,925

$431 ฿13.5K

198.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 A$1,626

$237 ฿7,439

358.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,002 A$3,004

$811 ฿25.5K

147.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,673 A$2,509

$501 ฿15.7K

234.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,254 A$9,381

$2,202 ฿69.2K

183.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,597 A$6,895

$1,600 ฿50.3K

187.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$684 ฿21.5K

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: January 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 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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