Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamrun and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,654 in Hamrun, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Hamrun
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Hamrun Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Hamrun

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,654

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,654 per month in Hamrun vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hamrun $1,654
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,564 per month in Hamrun vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hamrun $2,564
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $3,475 per month in Hamrun vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hamrun $3,475
Chiang Mai $1,903

Hamrun costs about 79% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hamrun sits 22% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.57 €11.18

$2.29 ฿76.5

448.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.0 €48.93

$19.64 ฿656

180.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.90 €7.92

$5.61 ฿188

58.65%

Cappuccino

$2.01 €1.79

$1.66 ฿55.6

21.08%

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

$1.98 €1.76

$0.70 ฿23.40

182.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.31 ฿10.24

338.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 €1.72

$2.41 ฿80.4

-19.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 €2.02

$3.71 ฿124

-38.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.95 ฿65.3

-35.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.41 ฿47.03

-4.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.29 €3.82

$1.31 ฿43.62

227.48%

Eggs

$4.33 €3.85

$2.18 ฿72.9

98.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.08 €7.19

$16.65 ฿556

-51.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.33 €9.19

$2.76 ฿92.2

274.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.24 €16.23

$9.11 ฿304

100.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 €3.65

$2.39 ฿80.0

71.97%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 €2.51

$1.03 ฿34.26

174.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.54 €3.15

$1.63 ฿54.4

117.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$1.50 ฿50.0

117.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.19

$1.29 ฿43.13

91.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.11 ฿37.03

79.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 €2.02

$0.72 ฿24.08

215.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.53 ฿17.59

154.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.59 €5.87

$4.31 ฿144

52.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.05 €7.16

$17.95 ฿600

-55.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.58 ฿52.9

7.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.43 €2.16

$2.84 ฿95.0

-14.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 €2.25

$0.86 ฿28.86

194.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.67 €5.05

$1.21 ฿40.29

368.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 €1.97

$0.57 ฿18.99

289.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.95 €23.97

$2.35 ฿78.6

1046.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.44 ฿47.96

3.47%

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

$37.7K €33.6K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

82.02%

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

$39.2K €34.8K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

46.18%

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

$102 €90.8

$62.3 ฿2,083

63.69%

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

$25.76 €22.91

$12.11 ฿405

112.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.46 €24.42

$19.94 ฿666

37.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.9 €56.0

$37.07 ฿1,239

69.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$10.24 €9.11

$6.50 ฿217

57.54%

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

$369 €329

$793 ฿26.5K

-53.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K €10.0K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-23.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.6 €77.9

$53.7 ฿1,796

63.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.99 €36.46

$24.62 ฿823

66.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.7 €86.9

$90.9 ฿3,036

7.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 €69.9

$71.1 ฿2,378

10.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$842 €749

$455 ฿15.2K

84.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$747 €664

$298 ฿9,954

150.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,560 €1,388

$908 ฿30.4K

71.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,361 €1,211

$554 ฿18.5K

145.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,947 €3,511

$1,931 ฿64.5K

104.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,795 €2,486

$1,445 ฿48.3K

93.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

5.57

-47.94%

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

Last update for Hamrun: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamrun

$747 45.2%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 60.1% $449

Groceries & Markets

Hamrun

$325 19.7%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 27.6% $90

Eating Out

Hamrun

$179 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 56.1% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamrun

$155 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 39.2% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Hamrun

$137 8.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 21.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Hamrun

$83 5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 40% $33

Getting Around

Hamrun

$27 * 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 126% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $842 in Hamrun versus $455 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Hamrun versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Hamrun

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:51 11:51 AM

16:51 4:51 PM

5 h ahead of Hamrun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Hamrun Chiang Mai 8,320 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Hamrun
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

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

Hamrun costs about 79% 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 $2,480 per month in Hamrun and $1,388 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55.0 in Hamrun and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Hamrun, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Hamrun at $1,654. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hamrun it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,654 in Hamrun. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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