Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grafton and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,424 in Grafton, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Grafton
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Grafton Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Grafton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,424

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,424 per month in Grafton vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Grafton $2,424
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $3,460 per month in Grafton vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Grafton $3,460
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $4,496 per month in Grafton vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Grafton $4,496
Chiang Mai $1,999

Grafton costs about 159% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Grafton 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

$17.28 A$24.64

$2.13 ฿71.8

711.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.4 A$103

$18.62 ฿626

288.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.26 A$16.06

$5.60 ฿188

101.07%

Cappuccino

$3.37 A$4.80

$1.66 ฿55.9

103.01%

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

$2.88 A$4.11

$0.65 ฿21.75

343.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 A$3.44

$0.30 ฿10.25

703.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.62 A$12.29

$2.32 ฿78.1

271.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.25 A$11.76

$3.67 ฿123

124.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 A$1.58

$2.02 ฿67.8

-45.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.62 A$3.74

$1.41 ฿47.34

85.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 A$3.17

$1.39 ฿46.79

60.43%

Eggs

$3.68 A$5.25

$2.37 ฿79.6

55.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.57 A$13.64

$16.52 ฿555

-42.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.50 A$10.69

$2.67 ฿89.8

180.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.36 A$20.47

$9.02 ฿303

59.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.07

$2.40 ฿80.6

19.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 A$2.01

$1.04 ฿35.01

35.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 A$4.21

$1.66 ฿55.8

77.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.78 A$6.81

$1.56 ฿52.4

206.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 A$2.96

$1.24 ฿41.61

67.74%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 A$3.21

$1.09 ฿36.53

106.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 A$2.43

$0.76 ฿25.61

123.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 A$1.62

$0.51 ฿17.29

123.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$30.29 A$43.19

$4.12 ฿139

635.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.42 A$17.70

$17.93 ฿603

-30.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.18 A$7.38

$1.62 ฿54.6

219.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 A$7.37

$2.82 ฿94.9

83.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 A$4.01

$0.93 ฿31.42

203.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.9 A$121

$52.9 ฿1,778

60.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.05 A$4.35

$1.18 ฿39.56

158.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 A$2.55

$0.17 ฿5.76

952.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.71 A$58.0

$1.81 ฿60.9

2149.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.89

$1.47 ฿49.51

-10.20%

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

$28.9K A$41.2K

$21.0K ฿706.4K

37.39%

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

$24.5K A$35.0K

$26.5K ฿891.4K

-7.48%

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

$158 A$225

$62.6 ฿2,103

152.14%

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

$26.75 A$38.13

$11.60 ฿390

130.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.18 A$70.1

$20.30 ฿683

142.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.2 A$80.1

$37.88 ฿1,274

48.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.04 A$25.72

$3.70 ฿124

387.57%

Cinema Ticket

$11.82 A$16.85

$6.51 ฿219

81.57%

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

$700 A$997

$727 ฿24.4K

-3.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,199 A$4,561

$16.6K ฿557.2K

-80.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.6 A$121

$53.5 ฿1,800

58.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.34 A$64.6

$24.80 ฿834

82.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 A$161

$90.4 ฿3,039

25.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 A$161

$72.0 ฿2,420

56.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,412 A$2,014

$481 ฿16.2K

193.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,228 A$1,751

$310 ฿10.4K

296.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,258 A$3,220

$1,058 ฿35.6K

113.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,816 A$2,589

$659 ฿22.1K

175.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,769 A$8,224

$2,418 ฿81.3K

138.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,933 A$7,032

$1,609 ฿54.1K

206.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,511 A$3,580

$595 ฿20.0K

322.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.81

5.57

4.31%

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

Last update for Grafton: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Grafton

$1.2K 50.7%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 74.8% $918

Groceries & Markets

Grafton

$321 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 26.3% $84

Eating Out

Grafton

$293 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 73.9% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grafton

$234 9.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 59.6% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Grafton

$160 6.6%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 32.4% $52

Getting Around

Grafton

$108 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 45.8% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Grafton

$80 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 36.2% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,412 in Grafton versus $481 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 Grafton are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $72 in Grafton versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $321 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Grafton

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:14 10:14 AM

06:14 6:14 AM

4 h behind Grafton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,255

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Grafton Chiang Mai 7,900 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Grafton
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

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

Grafton costs about 159% 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 $3,636 per month in Grafton 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 $481 there versus $1,412 in Grafton.

Kindergarten costs $700 per month in Grafton and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Grafton, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,424 in Grafton and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $2,424 in Grafton. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Grafton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.