Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hat Yai and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Hat Yai: $733 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Hat Yai
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Hat Yai Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Hat Yai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$733

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $733 per month in Hat Yai vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hat Yai $733
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,306 per month in Hat Yai vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hat Yai $1,306
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,880 per month in Hat Yai vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hat Yai $1,880
Chiang Mai $1,979

Hat Yai is about 22% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Hat Yai and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Hat Yai 46% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ฿102

$2.24 ฿75.7

35.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.53 ฿1,538

$19.00 ฿642

139.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.65 ฿123

$5.55 ฿188

-34.23%

Cappuccino

$2.80 ฿94.6

$1.67 ฿56.6

67.66%

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

$1.27 ฿42.80

$0.64 ฿21.56

98.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.99

$0.31 ฿10.32

70.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$2.36 ฿79.6

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ฿123

$3.66 ฿124

-0.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ฿49.32

$1.95 ฿65.8

-25.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 ฿40.01

$1.44 ฿48.51

-18.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.24

$1.33 ฿45.07

-3.76%

Eggs

$2.48 ฿83.6

$2.28 ฿77.1

8.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.28 ฿752

$16.45 ฿556

35.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.24 ฿75.8

$2.78 ฿94.0

-19.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.20 ฿378

$9.31 ฿314

20.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 ฿86.4

$2.35 ฿79.5

8.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.49

$0.97 ฿32.82

48.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 ฿63.6

$1.60 ฿53.9

17.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 ฿66.4

$1.50 ฿50.7

31.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿51.2

$1.28 ฿43.15

18.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 ฿34.53

$1.10 ฿37.22

-7.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 ฿37.41

$0.71 ฿23.84

56.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 ฿13.79

$0.49 ฿16.38

-16.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 ฿145

$4.14 ฿140

3.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.17 ฿512

$17.52 ฿592

-13.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.8

$1.61 ฿54.5

8.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ฿63.9

$2.78 ฿94.0

-32.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 ฿19.75

$0.87 ฿29.33

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.78

$1.16 ฿39.08

4.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 ฿38.48

$0.53 ฿17.82

115.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.09 ฿205

$2.42 ฿81.8

151.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ฿45.78

$1.45 ฿48.93

-6.21%

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

$18.5K ฿623.8K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-12.29%

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

$43.9K ฿1.5M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

62.96%

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

$83.6 ฿2,822

$62.2 ฿2,100

34.44%

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

$11.67 ฿394

$12.17 ฿411

-4.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.49 ฿320

$20.12 ฿680

-52.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.27 ฿1,596

$37.31 ฿1,260

26.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.15 ฿444

$3.77 ฿127

248.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.08 ฿239

$6.49 ฿219

9.09%

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

$564 ฿19.1K

$736 ฿24.9K

-23.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ฿369.1K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-25.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.35 ฿1,261

$53.4 ฿1,802

-30.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.28 ฿921

$24.64 ฿832

10.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.0 ฿2,398

$91.5 ฿3,089

-22.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.9 ฿3,240

$71.9 ฿2,429

33.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$266 ฿8,999

$482 ฿16.3K

-44.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$111 ฿3,748

$309 ฿10.4K

-64.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$731 ฿24.7K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-27.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 ฿13.4K

$633 ฿21.4K

-37.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,933 ฿65.3K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-18.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,469 ฿49.6K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-7.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$460 ฿15.5K

$590 ฿19.9K

-22.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

5.57

14.18%

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

Last update for Hat Yai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hat Yai

$251 34.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 6.5% $16

Accommodation & Living

Hat Yai

$111 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 178% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hat Yai

$105 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 9.8% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Hat Yai

$104 14.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 4.3% $4.4

Eating Out

Hat Yai

$92 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 15.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Hat Yai

$61 8.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 18.2% $11

Getting Around

Hat Yai

$9.2 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 564% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $266 in Hat Yai 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 run about 28% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46 in Hat Yai versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Hat Yai

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:07 6:07 PM

Same time as Hat Yai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

156,802

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hat Yai Chiang Mai 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hat Yai
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

Hat Yai vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than Hat Yai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,100 per month in Hat Yai 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 Hat Yai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $266 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46 in Hat Yai and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

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

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