Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hobart and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,733 in Hobart, rent and utilities included – about $21,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

132

Cost of Living Index in Hobart
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Hobart Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Hobart

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,733

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,733 per month in Hobart vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hobart $2,733
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $3,695 per month in Hobart vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hobart $3,695
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $4,657 per month in Hobart vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hobart $4,657
Chiang Mai $1,903

Hobart costs about 195% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hobart sits 102% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.35 A$26.41

$2.29 ฿76.5

701.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$92.5 A$133

$19.64 ฿656

370.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.44 A$15.02

$5.61 ฿188

86.10%

Cappuccino

$3.94 A$5.67

$1.66 ฿55.6

137.35%

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

$3.42 A$4.92

$0.70 ฿23.40

388.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 A$3.12

$0.31 ฿10.24

600.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 A$11.77

$2.41 ฿80.4

239.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.29 A$13.37

$3.71 ฿124

150.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 A$2.57

$1.95 ฿65.3

-8.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 A$3.50

$1.41 ฿47.03

72.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 A$2.71

$1.31 ฿43.62

43.51%

Eggs

$5.39 A$7.75

$2.18 ฿72.9

147.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.53 A$13.71

$16.65 ฿556

-42.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.84 A$12.71

$2.76 ฿92.2

220.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.77 A$25.57

$9.11 ฿304

95.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 A$4.58

$2.39 ฿80.0

33.05%

Banana (1kg)

$3.34 A$4.80

$1.03 ฿34.26

224.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 A$4.26

$1.63 ฿54.4

81.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.66 A$6.71

$1.50 ฿50.0

210.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.59 A$3.73

$1.29 ฿43.13

100.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 A$3.08

$1.11 ฿37.03

92.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 A$3.82

$0.72 ฿24.08

268.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 A$2.44

$0.53 ฿17.59

218.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$36.85 A$53.0

$4.31 ฿144

754.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 A$21.19

$17.95 ฿600

-17.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.98 A$7.16

$1.58 ฿52.9

215.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 A$7.72

$2.84 ฿95.0

88.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 A$4.39

$0.86 ฿28.86

254.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.9 A$141

$53.3 ฿1,780

83.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.64 A$6.67

$1.21 ฿40.29

283.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 A$2.99

$0.57 ฿18.99

264.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.36 A$59.5

$2.35 ฿78.6

1660.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.95

$1.44 ฿47.96

-5.56%

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

$28.4K A$40.8K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

36.79%

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

$33.8K A$48.6K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

26.10%

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

$223 A$321

$62.3 ฿2,083

257.56%

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

$28.52 A$41.04

$12.11 ฿405

135.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.8 A$86.1

$19.94 ฿666

200.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.82 A$53.0

$37.07 ฿1,239

-0.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.00 A$18.70

$3.78 ฿126

243.92%

Cinema Ticket

$16.63 A$23.93

$6.50 ฿217

155.85%

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

$1,976 A$2,843

$793 ฿26.5K

149.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K A$29.6K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

39.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.1 A$110

$53.7 ฿1,796

41.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 A$78.1

$24.62 ฿823

120.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 A$149

$90.9 ฿3,036

14.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 A$181

$71.1 ฿2,378

76.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,836 A$2,642

$455 ฿15.2K

303.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,382 A$1,988

$298 ฿9,954

363.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 A$3,103

$908 ฿30.4K

137.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,617 A$2,326

$554 ฿18.5K

191.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,379 A$13.5K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

385.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,772 A$9,744

$1,445 ฿48.3K

368.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,024 A$5,790

$591 ฿19.7K

581.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.2

5.57

11.31%

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

Last update for Hobart: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hobart

$1.4K 50.5%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 78.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Hobart

$376 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 37.4% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hobart

$311 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 69.7% $217

Eating Out

Hobart

$307 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 74.4% $229

Clothing & Footwear

Hobart

$162 5.9%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 33.2% $54

Getting Around

Hobart

$125 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 51.4% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Hobart

$70 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 28.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,836 in Hobart 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 581% higher in Hobart, 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 Hobart versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $376 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Hobart

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:00 12:00 PM

08:00 8:00 AM

4 h behind Hobart

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

197,451

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hobart Chiang Mai 8,450 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Hobart
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

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

Hobart costs about 195% 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 $4,100 per month in Hobart 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.

Kindergarten costs $1,976 per month in Hobart and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 60% more in Hobart, 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 Hobart at $2,733. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hobart it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,733 in Hobart. 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, Hobart makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.