Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gladstone and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,533 in Gladstone, rent and utilities included – about $19,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Gladstone
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Gladstone Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Gladstone

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,533

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,533 per month in Gladstone vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gladstone $2,533
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,459 per month in Gladstone vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gladstone $3,459
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,385 per month in Gladstone vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gladstone $4,385
Chiang Mai $1,979

Gladstone costs about 171% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Gladstone sits 86% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.68 A$25.24

$2.24 ฿75.6

689.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.1 A$116

$19.00 ฿641

326.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.89 A$16.98

$5.55 ฿187

114.23%

Cappuccino

$4.13 A$5.89

$1.67 ฿56.5

147.31%

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

$3.10 A$4.43

$0.64 ฿21.53

384.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 A$3.93

$0.31 ฿10.30

787.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.52 A$10.73

$2.36 ฿79.5

218.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.28 A$13.25

$3.66 ฿124

153.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 A$2.18

$1.95 ฿65.7

-22.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 A$3.89

$1.44 ฿48.45

89.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.28

$1.33 ฿45.01

72.93%

Eggs

$4.85 A$6.92

$2.28 ฿77.0

112.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.23 A$13.18

$16.45 ฿555

-43.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 A$13.14

$2.78 ฿93.8

231.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.50 A$20.69

$9.31 ฿314

55.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.83 A$5.47

$2.35 ฿79.4

62.98%

Banana (1kg)

$3.12 A$4.45

$0.97 ฿32.78

221.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.71

$1.60 ฿53.9

106.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.67 A$6.67

$1.50 ฿50.6

211.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 A$3.76

$1.28 ฿43.10

105.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.39

$1.10 ฿37.17

116.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.41 A$3.44

$0.71 ฿23.81

239.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 A$2.30

$0.49 ฿16.36

228.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.88 A$59.8

$4.14 ฿140

911.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.91 A$19.86

$17.52 ฿591

-20.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.85 A$6.93

$1.61 ฿54.5

201.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.35 A$7.64

$2.78 ฿93.9

92.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 A$4.04

$0.87 ฿29.29

225.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.8 A$121

$54.1 ฿1,825

56.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.02 A$5.74

$1.16 ฿39.03

246.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 A$1.99

$0.53 ฿17.79

162.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.05 A$62.9

$2.42 ฿81.7

1720.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 A$1.81

$1.45 ฿48.87

-12.41%

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

$26.9K A$38.4K

$21.1K ฿710.3K

27.65%

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

$24.9K A$35.6K

$26.9K ฿908.7K

-7.48%

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

$205 A$292

$62.2 ฿2,097

229.35%

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

$27.56 A$39.34

$12.17 ฿410

126.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 A$77.6

$20.12 ฿679

170.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.1 A$80.1

$37.31 ฿1,259

50.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.63 A$25.16

$3.77 ฿127

367.64%

Cinema Ticket

$13.90 A$19.84

$6.49 ฿219

114.18%

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

$1,958 A$2,795

$736 ฿24.8K

166.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K A$29.0K

$14.8K ฿498.0K

37.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.3 A$100

$53.4 ฿1,800

31.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.5 A$89.2

$24.64 ฿831

153.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 A$141

$91.5 ฿3,086

7.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 A$175

$71.9 ฿2,426

70.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 A$1,972

$482 ฿16.3K

186.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,223 A$1,745

$309 ฿10.4K

295.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,370 A$1,956

$1,006 ฿33.9K

36.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,465 A$2,091

$633 ฿21.4K

131.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,583 A$7,969

$2,363 ฿79.7K

136.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,980 A$7,107

$1,589 ฿53.6K

213.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,599 A$7,992

$590 ฿19.9K

849.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

5.57

-5.75%

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

Last update for Gladstone: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gladstone

$1.2K 48.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 74.7% $914

Groceries & Markets

Gladstone

$367 14.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 36.2% $133

Eating Out

Gladstone

$306 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 74.7% $229

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gladstone

$287 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 67.1% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Gladstone

$159 6.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 31.8% $51

Getting Around

Gladstone

$107 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 42.7% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Gladstone

$84 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 40.1% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,381 in Gladstone 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 Gladstone are about 9.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Gladstone versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $367 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Gladstone

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

08:29 8:29 AM

3 h behind Gladstone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,703

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Gladstone Chiang Mai 7,390 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Gladstone
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

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

Gladstone costs about 171% 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 $3,800 per month in Gladstone 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 $1,381 in Gladstone.

Kindergarten costs $1,958 per month in Gladstone 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 57% more in Gladstone, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,533 in Gladstone 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, Gladstone makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.