Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jerudong and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Jerudong: $727 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

35

Cost of Living Index in Jerudong
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Jerudong Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Jerudong

🇧🇳 Brunei

$727

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $727 per month in Jerudong vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jerudong $727
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,149 per month in Jerudong vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jerudong $1,149
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,570 per month in Jerudong vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jerudong $1,570
Chiang Mai $1,914

Jerudong is about 23% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Jerudong and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Jerudong 46% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.00 BND 5.11

$2.26 ฿75.4

76.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.52 BND 30.09

$19.18 ฿641

22.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.18 BND 7.91

$5.59 ฿187

10.55%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.92 BND 2.45

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 BND 2.93

Cappuccino

$4.00 BND 5.11

$1.72 ฿57.6

132.56%

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

$0.89 BND 1.13

$0.64 ฿21.54

39.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 BND 0.68

$0.33 ฿11.18

60.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 BND 2.31

$2.05 ฿68.6

-11.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 BND 2.14

$1.40 ฿46.70

19.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 BND 1.54

$1.28 ฿42.89

-6.25%

Eggs

$2.02 BND 2.59

$2.25 ฿75.3

-10.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.28 BND 11.88

$16.94 ฿566

-45.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 BND 5.58

$2.74 ฿91.6

59.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.63 BND 13.60

$9.36 ฿313

13.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 BND 4.02

$2.40 ฿80.3

30.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 BND 2.87

$1.01 ฿33.92

122.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 BND 3.67

$1.61 ฿53.9

78.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 BND 3.20

$1.52 ฿50.7

64.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 BND 2.20

$1.28 ฿42.90

34.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 BND 2.69

$1.11 ฿37.22

89.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.05 BND 3.90

$0.72 ฿24.09

323.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 BND 1.16

$0.52 ฿17.54

73.08%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.00 BND 29.43

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.38 BND 4.32

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.65 BND 20.03

$4.33 ฿145

261.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 BND 4.87

$1.17 ฿39.18

225.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.28 BND 4.19

$0.57 ฿19.00

475.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.86 BND 15.18

$2.37 ฿79.2

400.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.42 BND 0.54

$1.45 ฿48.32

-71.03%

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

$43.4K BND 55.5K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

111.82%

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

$36.3K BND 46.5K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

37.08%

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

$60.2 BND 77.0

$62.3 ฿2,083

-3.47%

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

$21.58 BND 27.61

$12.27 ฿410

75.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.6 BND 83.9

$19.97 ฿668

228.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.5 BND 99.2

$37.91 ฿1,267

104.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$3.94 BND 5.04

$6.71 ฿224

-41.28%

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

$213 BND 272

$797 ฿26.6K

-73.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,830 BND 12.6K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-33.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.1 BND 97.3

$53.3 ฿1,780

42.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$93.2 BND 119

$25.05 ฿837

271.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 BND 132

$91.6 ฿3,062

12.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 BND 92.2

$73.5 ฿2,455

-1.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

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)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.88

5.57

-30.34%

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

Last update for Jerudong: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jerudong

$215 29.6%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 10.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Jerudong

$155 21.3%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 29.4% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jerudong

$147 20.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 35.8% $53

Eating Out

Jerudong

$104 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 24.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Jerudong

$85 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 39.9% $34

Getting Around

Jerudong

$20 * 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 204% $41

Accommodation & Living

Jerudong

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Jerudong versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $215 in Jerudong vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Jerudong wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇳 Jerudong

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

08:03 8:03 AM

1 h behind Jerudong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Brunei Dollar BND $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.695 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BND – Brunei Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇳 Brunei Dollar ($)

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.782 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 BND (1 BND = 0.695 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BND in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Jerudong Chiang Mai 2,310 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Jerudong
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 29% more than Jerudong, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,090 per month in Jerudong and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Jerudong and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Jerudong, where all-in costs run around $727, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Jerudong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Jerudong costs $727 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. 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 Jerudong. 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.