Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Chang and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,021 in Koh Chang, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Koh Chang
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Koh Chang Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Koh Chang

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,021

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,021 per month in Koh Chang vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Koh Chang $1,021
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,720 per month in Koh Chang vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Koh Chang $1,720
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,418 per month in Koh Chang vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Koh Chang $2,418
Chiang Mai $1,979

Koh Chang costs about 9% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Koh Chang and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Koh Chang 25% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.47 ฿117

$2.24 ฿75.6

54.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.30 ฿888

$19.00 ฿641

38.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.04 ฿238

$5.55 ฿187

26.85%

Cappuccino

$2.18 ฿73.5

$1.67 ฿56.5

30.54%

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

$0.75 ฿25.33

$0.64 ฿21.55

17.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.35

$0.31 ฿10.31

19.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.00 ฿67.7

$2.36 ฿79.6

-15.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 ฿101

$3.66 ฿124

-18.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ฿50.0

$1.95 ฿65.8

-24.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 ฿42.31

$1.44 ฿48.48

-13.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.39

$1.33 ฿45.04

3.01%

Eggs

$1.89 ฿63.7

$2.28 ฿77.1

-17.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.29 ฿584

$16.45 ฿555

5.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.05 ฿103

$2.78 ฿93.9

9.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.19 ฿344

$9.31 ฿314

9.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 ฿90.6

$2.35 ฿79.4

14.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.7

$0.97 ฿32.80

57.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ฿65.9

$1.60 ฿53.9

21.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 ฿62.4

$1.50 ฿50.6

23.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.65

$1.28 ฿43.12

0.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.72

$1.10 ฿37.19

12.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ฿34.04

$0.71 ฿23.82

42.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.67

$0.49 ฿16.37

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ฿127

$4.14 ฿140

-8.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.75 ฿565

$17.52 ฿591

-4.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 ฿52.7

$1.61 ฿54.5

-3.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 ฿83.0

$2.78 ฿94.0

-11.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 ฿40.91

$0.87 ฿29.31

39.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.34 ฿1,294

$54.1 ฿1,826

-29.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 ฿81.9

$1.16 ฿39.06

109.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ฿28.77

$0.53 ฿17.80

60.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.42 ฿81.8

21.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 ฿38.48

$1.45 ฿48.90

-21.38%

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

$21.7K ฿733.1K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

3.14%

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

$20.9K ฿707.0K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-22.25%

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

$94.6 ฿3,191

$62.2 ฿2,098

52.10%

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

$10.67 ฿360

$12.17 ฿411

-12.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.02 ฿541

$20.12 ฿679

-20.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.0 ฿1,957

$37.31 ฿1,259

55.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.00 ฿304

$3.77 ฿127

138.73%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

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

$422 ฿14.3K

$736 ฿24.8K

-42.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K ฿343.5K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-31.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.3 ฿2,036

$53.4 ฿1,801

13.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.66 ฿900

$24.64 ฿831

8.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 ฿3,015

$91.5 ฿3,087

-2.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.5 ฿2,751

$71.9 ฿2,428

13.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 ฿15.8K

$482 ฿16.3K

-2.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 ฿11.0K

$309 ฿10.4K

5.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ฿43.6K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

28.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$917 ฿31.0K

$633 ฿21.4K

44.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,704 ฿91.2K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

14.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ฿64.3K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

19.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Koh Chang: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Chang

$327 32%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 5.5% $18

Groceries & Markets

Koh Chang

$240 23.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 2.5% $6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Chang

$121 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 22.1% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Chang

$116 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 6.4% $7.4

Eating Out

Koh Chang

$95 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 18.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Chang

$71 7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 29.2% $21

Getting Around

Koh Chang

$50 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 23% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $469 in Koh Chang 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Koh Chang versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $240 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Chang

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:09 3:09 PM

Same time as Koh Chang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,500

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Koh Chang Chiang Mai 830 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Koh Chang
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

Koh Chang vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koh Chang costs about 9% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,531 per month in Koh Chang and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $469 in Koh Chang and $482 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Koh Chang and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 29% less in Koh Chang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,021 in Koh Chang 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 $1,021 in Koh Chang. 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.