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

😐 Solo nomad: Forbes is 65.7% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 156.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Forbes is 101.4% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 129.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Forbes
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.4 A$25.12
$2.02 ฿65.3
711.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.3 A$120
$18.78 ฿608
316.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.94 A$15.23
$7.67 ฿248
29.60%
Cappuccino
$3.49 A$5.35
$1.98 ฿64.2
76.26%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 A$3.88
$0.82 ฿26.64
208.54%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.2 A$3.37
$0.33 ฿10.58
566.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.62 A$10.14
$2.12 ฿68.6
212.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.95 A$10.65
$3.73 ฿121
86.33%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Forbes
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.42 A$2.18
$1.64 ฿53.2
-13.41%
White Bread (500g)
$2.37 A$3.63
$1.57 ฿50.9
50.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.01 A$3.08
$1.19 ฿38.62
68.91%
Eggs
$4.26 A$6.52
$1.98 ฿64.1
115.15%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.71 A$13.34
$15.99 ฿517
-45.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.55 A$13.09
$3.12 ฿101
174.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.72 A$21.03
$11.16 ฿361
22.94%
Apples (1kg)
$3.34 A$5.11
$2.76 ฿89.2
21.01%
Banana (1kg)
$2.73 A$4.18
$1.22 ฿39.5
123.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.98 A$4.56
$1.71 ฿55.4
74.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.17 A$6.38
$1.55 ฿50.2
169.03%
Potato (1kg)
$2.4 A$3.68
$1.34 ฿43.21
79.10%
Onion (1kg)
$2.17 A$3.32
$1.21 ฿39.23
79.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.17 A$3.33
$0.72 ฿23.2
201.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.51 A$2.32
$0.53 ฿17.05
184.91%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$30.39 A$46.56
$4.72 ฿153
543.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.66 A$17.86
$18.39 ฿595
-36.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.55 A$6.97
$1.79 ฿57.9
154.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.45 A$8.35
$3.21 ฿104
69.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Forbes
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.64 A$4.04
$0.94 ฿30.44
180.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$64.9 A$99.4
$18.9 ฿612
243.23%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.48 A$5.33
$1.42 ฿46.08
145.07%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.56 A$2.39
$1.35 ฿43.53
15.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.47 A$51.3
$7.85 ฿254
326.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 A$1.83
$1.25 ฿40.4
-4.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.4K A$45.1K
$21.2K ฿684.9K
39.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.6K A$34.6K
$21.8K ฿706.8K
3.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Forbes
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$187 A$286
$70.6 ฿2,285
164.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.19 A$41.65
$13.72 ฿444
98.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.1 A$79.8
$17.56 ฿568
196.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Forbes
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.43 A$74.2
$41.64 ฿1,347
16.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.76 A$24.15
$6.9 ฿223
128.41%
Cinema Ticket
$12.77 A$19.56
$5.8 ฿188
120.17%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Forbes
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,637 A$2,509
$308 ฿9,963
431.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12K A$18.4K
$14.7K ฿475.8K
-18.49%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Forbes
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68 A$104
$55.4 ฿1,793
22.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.4 A$78.8
$26.4 ฿854
94.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100 A$154
$85.1 ฿2,755
17.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 A$165
$71.8 ฿2,323
49.79%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Forbes
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,273 A$1,950
$434 ฿14K
193.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,053 A$1,613
$235 ฿7,610
347.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,025 A$3,102
$821 ฿26.6K
146.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,666 A$2,552
$498 ฿16.1K
234.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,779 A$7,321
$2,180 ฿70.6K
119.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,104 A$7,819
$1,543 ฿49.9K
230.80%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Forbes
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$703 ฿22.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.34
5
26.80%

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

Last update for Forbes: October 29, 2025

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 29, 2025

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