Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Harlow and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,330 in Harlow, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Harlow
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Harlow Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Harlow

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,330

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,330 per month in Harlow vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Harlow $2,330
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $3,407 per month in Harlow vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Harlow $3,407
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $4,483 per month in Harlow vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Harlow $4,483
Chiang Mai $1,903

Harlow costs about 152% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Harlow sits 72% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.01 £15.76

$2.29 ฿76.5

817.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.7 £68.8

$19.64 ฿656

366.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 £7.86

$5.61 ฿188

86.63%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$1.66 ฿55.6

229.52%

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

$2.63 £1.97

$0.70 ฿23.40

275.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 £1.39

$0.31 ฿10.24

496.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.81 £5.11

$2.41 ฿80.4

182.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.87 £5.15

$3.71 ฿124

85.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 £0.98

$1.95 ฿65.3

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.41 ฿47.03

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 £0.84

$1.31 ฿43.62

-15.27%

Eggs

$2.38 £1.79

$2.18 ฿72.9

9.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.83 £5.12

$16.65 ฿556

-58.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.05 £4.54

$2.76 ฿92.2

119.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.45 £4.84

$9.11 ฿304

-29.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 £1.54

$2.39 ฿80.0

-14.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 £0.92

$1.03 ฿34.26

19.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 £0.87

$1.63 ฿54.4

-29.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 £1.52

$1.50 ฿50.0

34.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 £1.22

$1.29 ฿43.13

26.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 £1.01

$1.11 ฿37.03

20.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 £1.01

$0.72 ฿24.08

86.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 £1.07

$0.53 ฿17.59

169.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.29 £15.97

$4.31 ฿144

393.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.33 £7.00

$17.95 ฿600

-48.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 £2.02

$1.58 ฿52.9

70.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 £1.53

$2.84 ฿95.0

-28.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.73 £2.04

$0.86 ฿28.86

217.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.84 £4.38

$1.21 ฿40.29

382.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 £1.26

$0.57 ฿18.99

194.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.15 £15.87

$2.35 ฿78.6

800.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 £1.44

$1.44 ฿47.96

33.33%

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

$39.0K £29.2K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

88.04%

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

$40.1K £30.1K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

49.77%

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

$226 £169

$62.3 ฿2,083

262.44%

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

$11.95 £8.97

$12.11 ฿405

-1.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.54 £21.41

$19.94 ฿666

43.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.10 £35.34

$37.07 ฿1,239

27.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.06 £6.05

$3.78 ฿126

113.23%

Cinema Ticket

$12.56 £9.42

$6.50 ฿217

93.23%

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

$1,061 £796

$793 ฿26.5K

33.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K £14.8K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

33.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 £51.6

$53.7 ฿1,796

28.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.19 £24.15

$24.62 ฿823

30.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 £57.8

$90.9 ฿3,036

-15.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.33 £29.51

$71.1 ฿2,378

-44.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,403 £1,053

$455 ฿15.2K

208.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,328 £996

$298 ฿9,954

345.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,276 £1,708

$908 ฿30.4K

150.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,182 £1,637

$554 ฿18.5K

293.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,013 £2,260

$591 ฿19.7K

409.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.91

5.57

-11.85%

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

Last update for Harlow: 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

Harlow

$1.3K 57%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 77.6% $1K

Eating Out

Harlow

$331 14.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 76.2% $252

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harlow

$266 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 64.6% $172

Groceries & Markets

Harlow

$210 9%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 12.2% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Harlow

$98 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 10.6% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Harlow

$72 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 30.7% $22

Getting Around

Harlow

$25 * 1.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 142% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,403 in Harlow 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.

Salaries run about 410% higher in Harlow, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $92.0 in Harlow versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $210 in Harlow vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Harlow wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Harlow

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:52 8:52 PM

02:52 2:52 AM

6 h ahead of Harlow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

86,191

127,240

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Harlow Chiang Mai 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Harlow
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

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

Harlow costs about 152% 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 $3,495 per month in Harlow 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 $92.0 in Harlow and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Harlow – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Harlow at $2,330. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Harlow it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,330 in Harlow. 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, Harlow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.