Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hua-lien and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,054 in Hua-lien, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Hua-lien despite lower rent and utilities.

51

Cost of Living Index in Hua-lien
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Hua-lien Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Hua-lien

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,054

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,054 per month in Hua-lien vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hua-lien $1,054
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,788 per month in Hua-lien vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hua-lien $1,788
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,522 per month in Hua-lien vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hua-lien $2,522
Chiang Mai $1,979

Hua-lien costs about 13% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hua-lien and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Hua-lien 23% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.08 NT$133

$2.24 ฿75.6

82.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.90 NT$910

$19.00 ฿641

46.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.13 NT$135

$5.55 ฿187

-25.59%

Cappuccino

$2.62 NT$85.3

$1.67 ฿56.5

56.89%

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

$0.93 NT$30.42

$0.64 ฿21.55

45.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 NT$17.23

$0.31 ฿10.31

70.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 NT$43.26

$2.36 ฿79.6

-43.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 NT$66.4

$3.66 ฿124

-44.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.74 NT$89.2

$1.95 ฿65.8

40.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 NT$53.5

$1.44 ฿48.48

13.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.53 NT$148

$1.33 ฿45.04

240.60%

Eggs

$1.93 NT$62.9

$2.28 ฿77.1

-15.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 NT$624

$16.45 ฿555

16.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.93 NT$193

$2.78 ฿93.9

113.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.47 NT$831

$9.31 ฿314

173.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 NT$87.0

$2.35 ฿79.4

13.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 NT$79.5

$0.97 ฿32.80

151.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 NT$104

$1.60 ฿53.9

100.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 NT$101

$1.50 ฿50.6

106.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 NT$74.7

$1.28 ฿43.12

78.91%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 NT$76.5

$1.10 ฿37.19

113.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.99 NT$64.9

$0.71 ฿23.82

180.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 NT$31.42

$0.49 ฿16.37

95.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.76 NT$122

$4.14 ฿140

-9.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.33 NT$402

$17.52 ฿591

-29.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 NT$60.4

$1.61 ฿54.5

14.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 NT$74.9

$2.78 ฿94.0

-17.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 NT$19.45

$0.87 ฿29.31

-31.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.87 NT$1,104

$54.1 ฿1,826

-37.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 NT$100

$1.16 ฿39.06

164.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 NT$9.64

$0.53 ฿17.80

-43.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.86 NT$321

$2.42 ฿81.8

307.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 NT$29.62

$1.45 ฿48.90

-37.24%

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

$35.5K NT$1.2M

$21.1K ฿710.7K

68.47%

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

$23.7K NT$772.4K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-12.07%

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

$99.3 NT$3,237

$62.2 ฿2,098

59.68%

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

$18.72 NT$610

$12.17 ฿411

53.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.53 NT$409

$20.12 ฿679

-37.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.49 NT$1,157

$37.31 ฿1,259

-4.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$10.12 NT$330

$6.49 ฿219

55.93%

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

$729 NT$23.8K

$736 ฿24.8K

-1.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K NT$527.1K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

9.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 NT$1,811

$53.4 ฿1,801

4.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.63 NT$1,129

$24.64 ฿831

40.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 NT$2,495

$91.5 ฿3,087

-16.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 NT$3,359

$71.9 ฿2,428

43.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$417 NT$13.6K

$482 ฿16.3K

-13.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 NT$8,268

$309 ฿10.4K

-17.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,025 NT$33.4K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

1.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 NT$24.4K

$633 ฿21.4K

18.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,568 NT$246.7K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

220.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,914 NT$160.2K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

209.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,802 NT$91.4K

$590 ฿19.9K

375.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.13

5.57

-61.76%

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

Last update for Hua-lien: 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

Hua-lien

$359 34.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 34.7% $125

Accommodation & Living

Hua-lien

$254 24.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 21.8% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hua-lien

$131 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 27.6% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Hua-lien

$121 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 10.5% $13

Eating Out

Hua-lien

$93 8.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 16.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Hua-lien

$56 5.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 9.8% $5.4

Getting Around

Hua-lien

$41 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 50.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $417 in Hua-lien 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 in Hua-lien are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Hua-lien versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $359 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Hua-lien

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:33 4:33 PM

15:33 3:33 PM

1 h behind Hua-lien

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

105,034

127,240

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 32.61 TWD (100 TWD = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 36.39 TWD (100 TWD = 2.75 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hua-lien Chiang Mai 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hua-lien
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

Hua-lien vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hua-lien costs about 13% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,581 per month in Hua-lien 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 Hua-lien, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $417 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $729 per month in Hua-lien and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% more in Hua-lien, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,054 in Hua-lien and $936 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 $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,054 in Hua-lien. 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, Hua-lien makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.