Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Frankston and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,438 in Frankston, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Frankston
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Frankston Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Frankston

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,438

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,438 per month in Frankston vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Frankston $2,438
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,403 per month in Frankston vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Frankston $3,403
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,369 per month in Frankston vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Frankston $4,369
Chiang Mai $1,979

Frankston costs about 161% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Frankston sits 79% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.24 A$21.76

$2.24 ฿75.5

580.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.8 A$85.5

$19.00 ฿640

214.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.72 A$15.31

$5.55 ฿187

93.15%

Cappuccino

$2.74 A$3.92

$1.67 ฿56.4

64.07%

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

$3.18 A$4.54

$0.64 ฿21.51

396.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 A$2.97

$0.31 ฿10.29

570.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.03 A$14.32

$2.36 ฿79.5

325.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 A$9.72

$3.66 ฿123

86.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 A$2.16

$1.95 ฿65.7

-22.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 A$3.74

$1.44 ฿48.41

81.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 A$2.94

$1.33 ฿44.97

54.89%

Eggs

$3.78 A$5.40

$2.28 ฿77.0

65.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.62 A$15.17

$16.45 ฿554

-35.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.57 A$13.67

$2.78 ฿93.8

244.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.80 A$11.13

$9.31 ฿314

-16.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 A$3.82

$2.35 ฿79.3

13.62%

Banana (1kg)

$3.16 A$4.51

$0.97 ฿32.75

225.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 A$3.94

$1.60 ฿53.8

72.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.72 A$3.89

$1.50 ฿50.6

81.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$1.28 ฿43.06

137.50%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 A$3.71

$1.10 ฿37.14

136.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 A$3.45

$0.71 ฿23.79

239.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 A$1.96

$0.49 ฿16.34

181.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.80 A$61.1

$4.14 ฿140

933.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.28 A$8.97

$17.52 ฿590

-64.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 A$4.64

$1.61 ฿54.4

101.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 A$6.03

$2.78 ฿93.8

51.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.61 A$5.16

$0.87 ฿29.27

314.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.1 A$119

$54.1 ฿1,823

53.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.44 A$6.34

$1.16 ฿39.00

282.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 A$2.05

$0.53 ฿17.78

171.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.55 A$43.63

$2.42 ฿81.6

1162.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 A$1.65

$1.45 ฿48.82

-20.69%

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

$29.7K A$42.4K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

40.97%

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

$26.3K A$37.6K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-2.30%

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

$228 A$326

$62.2 ฿2,095

267.27%

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

$10.68 A$15.26

$12.17 ฿410

-12.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.8 A$81.0

$20.12 ฿678

182.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 A$81.4

$37.31 ฿1,257

52.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.67 A$25.24

$3.77 ฿127

368.70%

Cinema Ticket

$17.47 A$24.95

$6.49 ฿219

169.18%

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

$2,450 A$3,499

$736 ฿24.8K

232.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.4K A$43.4K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

105.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.9 A$114

$53.4 ฿1,799

49.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 A$73.2

$24.64 ฿830

107.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.9 A$126

$91.5 ฿3,083

-3.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.59 A$69.4

$71.9 ฿2,424

-32.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,405 A$2,007

$482 ฿16.3K

191.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,247 A$1,780

$309 ฿10.4K

303.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,219 A$3,169

$1,006 ฿33.9K

120.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,841 A$2,629

$633 ฿21.3K

190.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,812 A$8,300

$2,363 ฿79.6K

145.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,351 A$7,641

$1,589 ฿53.6K

236.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,360 A$6,227

$590 ฿19.9K

639.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.57

5.92%

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

Last update for Frankston: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Frankston

$1.2K 51.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 75.2% $938

Groceries & Markets

Frankston

$302 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 22.5% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Frankston

$296 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 68.1% $201

Eating Out

Frankston

$272 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 71.5% $194

Clothing & Footwear

Frankston

$120 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 9.8% $12

Getting Around

Frankston

$109 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 43.8% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Frankston

$92 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 45.3% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,405 in Frankston 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.

Salaries in Frankston are about 7.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Frankston versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Frankston

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:52 12:52 PM

08:52 8:52 AM

4 h behind Frankston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,331

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Frankston Chiang Mai 7,950 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Frankston
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

Frankston vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Frankston costs about 161% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,658 per month in Frankston 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,405 in Frankston.

Kindergarten costs $2,450 per month in Frankston and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Frankston, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,438 in Frankston and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Frankston makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.