Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ipswich and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,037 in Ipswich, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Ipswich
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Ipswich Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ipswich

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,037

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,037 per month in Ipswich vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ipswich $2,037
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,901 per month in Ipswich vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ipswich $2,901
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,766 per month in Ipswich vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ipswich $3,766
Chiang Mai $1,914

Ipswich costs about 117% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ipswich sits 51% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.50 A$45.33

$2.26 ฿75.4

1293.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 A$107

$19.18 ฿641

286.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.98 A$14.36

$5.59 ฿187

78.53%

Cappuccino

$4.54 A$6.53

$1.72 ฿57.6

163.95%

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

$3.92 A$5.64

$0.64 ฿21.54

512.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 A$3.60

$0.33 ฿11.18

657.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.04 A$13.01

$2.36 ฿78.7

283.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.61 A$10.94

$3.90 ฿130

95.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 A$3.48

$2.05 ฿68.6

18.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 A$3.41

$1.40 ฿46.70

69.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 A$3.19

$1.28 ฿42.89

73.44%

Eggs

$7.14 A$10.27

$2.25 ฿75.3

217.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.32 A$10.53

$16.94 ฿566

-56.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.24 A$11.86

$2.74 ฿91.6

200.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.05 A$20.22

$9.36 ฿313

50.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 A$4.86

$2.40 ฿80.3

40.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.70

$1.01 ฿33.92

154.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.10

$1.61 ฿53.9

77.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.76 A$5.41

$1.52 ฿50.7

147.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 A$2.87

$1.28 ฿42.90

55.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 A$2.95

$1.11 ฿37.22

84.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.54

$0.72 ฿24.09

241.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 A$2.56

$0.52 ฿17.54

242.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.60 A$64.2

$4.33 ฿145

930.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.31 A$32.11

$17.73 ฿593

25.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.21 A$8.93

$1.63 ฿54.4

280.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.15 A$10.28

$2.85 ฿95.3

150.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 A$0.52

$0.85 ฿28.31

-57.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 A$3.14

$1.17 ฿39.18

86.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 A$2.25

$0.57 ฿19.00

173.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.12 A$52.0

$2.37 ฿79.2

1424.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 A$2.11

$1.45 ฿48.32

1.38%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

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

$90.9 A$131

$62.3 ฿2,083

45.77%

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

$30.70 A$44.18

$12.27 ฿410

150.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 A$90.9

$19.97 ฿668

216.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.21 A$24.76

$37.91 ฿1,267

-54.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

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

$797 ฿26.6K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 A$1,476

$464 ฿15.5K

121.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,016 A$1,463

$305 ฿10.2K

233.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 A$2,038

$915 ฿30.6K

54.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 A$2,018

$552 ฿18.5K

153.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,146 A$5,966

$595 ฿19.9K

596.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.98

5.57

7.36%

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

Last update for Ipswich: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ipswich

$1K 49.9%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 70% $712

Eating Out

Ipswich

$423 20.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 81.3% $343

Groceries & Markets

Ipswich

$384 18.9%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 38.1% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ipswich

$185 9.1%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 48.8% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Ipswich

$17 * 0.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 198% $34

Getting Around

Ipswich

$11 * 0.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 436% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Ipswich

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,026 in Ipswich versus $464 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 597% higher in Ipswich, 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 $74.0 in Ipswich versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Ipswich

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:00 6:00 AM

03:00 3:00 AM

3 h behind Ipswich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

229,208

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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Ipswich Chiang Mai 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Ipswich
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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

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

Ipswich costs about 117% 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 $3,055 per month in Ipswich and $1,408 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,037 in Ipswich and $938 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 117%.

Groceries cost about 61% more in Ipswich, 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 $938, than in Ipswich at $2,037. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ipswich it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,037 in Ipswich. 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, Ipswich makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.