Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Isle of Islay and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,352 on the Isle of Islay, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index on the Isle of Islay
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Isle of Islay Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Isle of Islay

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,352

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend on the Isle of Islay 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 on the Isle of Islay and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,352 per month on the Isle of Islay vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Isle of Islay $2,352
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $3,353 per month on the Isle of Islay vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Isle of Islay $3,353
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $4,354 per month on the Isle of Islay vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Isle of Islay $4,354
Chiang Mai $1,903

Isle of Islay costs about 154% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Isle of Islay sits 74% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.60 £16.21

$2.29 ฿76.5

843.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 £61.1

$19.64 ฿656

314.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 £7.95

$5.61 ฿188

88.95%

Cappuccino

$4.48 £3.36

$1.66 ฿55.6

169.88%

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

$2.48 £1.86

$0.70 ฿23.40

254.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 £0.99

$0.31 ฿10.24

325.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.83 £4.37

$2.41 ฿80.4

141.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.01 £4.51

$3.71 ฿124

61.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 £1.52

$1.95 ฿65.3

4.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 £1.32

$1.41 ฿47.03

24.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.74 £2.06

$1.31 ฿43.62

109.16%

Eggs

$5.41 £4.06

$2.18 ฿72.9

148.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 £5.54

$16.65 ฿556

-55.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 £7.14

$2.76 ฿92.2

244.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.36 £11.53

$9.11 ฿304

68.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 £1.88

$2.39 ฿80.0

4.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 £1.65

$1.03 ฿34.26

113.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 £2.12

$1.63 ฿54.4

73.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 £2.15

$1.50 ฿50.0

91.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.06 £2.29

$1.29 ฿43.13

137.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 £1.58

$1.11 ฿37.03

90.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 £1.40

$0.72 ฿24.08

158.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 £1.82

$0.53 ฿17.59

358.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.79 £17.85

$4.31 ฿144

451.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.03 £9.03

$17.95 ฿600

-32.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.26 £2.44

$1.58 ฿52.9

106.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 £2.41

$2.84 ฿95.0

13.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.50 £2.62

$0.86 ฿28.86

306.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.1 £73.6

$53.3 ฿1,780

84.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.75 £3.56

$1.21 ฿40.29

292.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.79 £2.84

$0.57 ฿18.99

564.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.58 £19.94

$2.35 ฿78.6

1031.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.44 ฿47.96

43.75%

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

$38.5K £28.9K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

85.86%

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

$40.4K £30.3K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

50.83%

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

$238 £178

$62.3 ฿2,083

281.34%

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

$13.09 £9.82

$12.11 ฿405

8.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.21 £31.67

$19.94 ฿666

111.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.82 £32.88

$37.07 ฿1,239

18.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$13.44 £10.08

$6.50 ฿217

106.77%

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

$1,918 £1,439

$793 ฿26.5K

142.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K £18.6K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

67.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 £75.1

$53.7 ฿1,796

86.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.6 £43.19

$24.62 ฿823

133.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 £90.9

$90.9 ฿3,036

33.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.1 £65.4

$71.1 ฿2,378

22.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 £955

$455 ฿15.2K

179.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,039 £779

$298 ฿9,954

248.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 £1,595

$908 ฿30.4K

134.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,449 £1,087

$554 ฿18.5K

161.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,528 £4,147

$1,931 ฿64.5K

186.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,409 £2,558

$1,445 ฿48.3K

136.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.41

5.57

-2.87%

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

Last update for the Isle of Islay: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Isle of Islay

$1K 44.2%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 71.3% $741

Groceries & Markets

Isle of Islay

$334 14.2%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 29.6% $99

Eating Out

Isle of Islay

$315 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 75% $236

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Isle of Islay

$293 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 67.8% $199

Clothing & Footwear

Isle of Islay

$165 7%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 34.3% $57

Getting Around

Isle of Islay

$136 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 55.2% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Isle of Islay

$71 3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 29.2% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,272 on the Isle of Islay 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81.0 on the Isle of Islay versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $334 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Isle of Islay

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:06 9:06 AM

15:06 3:06 PM

6 h ahead of the Isle of Islay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,457

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

Isle of Islay Chiang Mai 9,200 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Isle of Islay
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

Isle of Islay vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Isle of Islay costs about 154% 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 $3,528 per month on the Isle of Islay 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 $1,918 per month on the Isle of Islay 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 42% more on the Isle of Islay, 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 on the Isle of Islay at $2,352. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while on the Isle of Islay it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,352 on the Isle of Islay. 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, Isle of Islay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.