Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kelachay and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Kelachay: $551 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Kelachay
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Kelachay Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kelachay

🇮🇷 Iran

$551

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $551 per month in Kelachay vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kelachay $551
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $840 per month in Kelachay vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kelachay $840
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,128 per month in Kelachay vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kelachay $1,128
Chiang Mai $1,914

Kelachay is about 41% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kelachay and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kelachay 59% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.95 $2.95

$2.26 ฿75.4

30.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.55 $14.55

$19.18 ฿641

-24.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.10 $4.10

$5.59 ฿187

-26.65%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.80 $0.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 $1.25

Cappuccino

$1.04 $1.04

$1.72 ฿57.6

-39.53%

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

$0.48 $0.48

$0.64 ฿21.54

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 $0.87

$0.33 ฿11.18

163.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$0.64 $0.64

$2.05 ฿68.6

-68.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 $0.52

$1.40 ฿46.70

-62.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.28 ฿42.89

63.28%

Eggs

$1.23 $1.23

$2.25 ฿75.3

-45.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$16.94 ฿566

-73.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 $3.40

$2.74 ฿91.6

24.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 $10.44

$9.36 ฿313

11.54%

Apples (1kg)

$1.06 $1.06

$2.40 ฿80.3

-55.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.01 ฿33.92

53.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.61 ฿53.9

-47.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.57 $0.57

$1.52 ฿50.7

-62.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 $0.58

$1.28 ฿42.90

-54.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.50 $0.50

$1.11 ฿37.22

-54.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 $0.52

$0.72 ฿24.09

-27.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 $0.24

$0.52 ฿17.54

-53.85%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.81 $0.81

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 $0.52

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 $1.29

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.57 $2.57

$4.33 ฿145

-40.65%

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)

$0.14 $0.14

$0.85 ฿28.31

-83.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.30 $10.30

$53.9 ฿1,801

-80.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.42 $0.42

$1.17 ฿39.18

-64.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 $0.27

$0.57 ฿19.00

-52.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 $2.69

$2.37 ฿79.2

13.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.09 $0.09

$1.45 ฿48.32

-93.79%

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

$54.6K $54.6K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

166.68%

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

$48.0K $48.0K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

81.18%

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

$14.25 $14.25

$62.3 ฿2,083

-77.14%

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

$1.64 $1.64

$12.27 ฿410

-86.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.24 $4.24

$19.97 ฿668

-78.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.91 $18.91

$37.91 ฿1,267

-50.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.13 $13.13

$3.76 ฿126

249.20%

Cinema Ticket

$1.93 $1.93

$6.71 ฿224

-71.24%

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

$97.0 $97.0

$797 ฿26.6K

-87.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,158 $2,158

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-85.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.15 $23.15

$53.3 ฿1,780

-56.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.72 $28.72

$25.05 ฿837

14.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 $91.3

$91.6 ฿3,062

-0.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.7 $76.7

$73.5 ฿2,455

4.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$248 $248

$464 ฿15.5K

-46.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$228 $228

$305 ฿10.2K

-25.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$838 $838

$915 ฿30.6K

-8.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 $340

$552 ฿18.5K

-38.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,162 $1,162

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-39.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$616 $616

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-57.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.3

5.57

336.27%

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

Last update for Kelachay: 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

Kelachay

$228 41.3%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 33.9% $77

Groceries & Markets

Kelachay

$115 20.9%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 106% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Kelachay

$99 18%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 10.7% $11

Eating Out

Kelachay

$54 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 46.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Kelachay

$23 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 125% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kelachay

$20 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 370% $74

Getting Around

Kelachay

$13 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 386% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $248 in Kelachay 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15.00 in Kelachay versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $115 vs $238 – making Kelachay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Kelachay

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:59 12:59 AM

04:29 4:29 AM

3 h 30 min ahead of Kelachay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,379

127,240

💱 Currency

USD USD

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Kelachay Chiang Mai 5,120 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kelachay
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Chiang Mai costs about 70% more than Kelachay, 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 $827 per month in Kelachay 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 Kelachay, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $97.0 per month in Kelachay and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 106% 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 Kelachay, where all-in costs run around $551, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Kelachay 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. Kelachay costs $551 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 Kelachay. 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.