Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Phangan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,024 in Koh Phangan, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Koh Phangan
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Koh Phangan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,024

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,024 per month in Koh Phangan vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Koh Phangan $1,024
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,693 per month in Koh Phangan vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Koh Phangan $1,693
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,361 per month in Koh Phangan vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Koh Phangan $2,361
Chiang Mai $1,903

Koh Phangan costs about 11% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Koh Phangan and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Koh Phangan 24% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.97 ฿133

$2.29 ฿76.5

73.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.08 ฿972

$19.64 ฿656

48.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.90 ฿264

$5.61 ฿188

40.82%

Cappuccino

$2.53 ฿84.5

$1.66 ฿55.6

52.41%

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

$0.87 ฿28.98

$0.70 ฿23.40

24.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ฿13.98

$0.31 ฿10.24

35.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 ฿73.9

$2.41 ฿80.4

-8.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ฿115

$3.71 ฿124

-7.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.95 ฿65.3

-18.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 ฿46.52

$1.41 ฿47.03

-1.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.31 ฿43.62

14.50%

Eggs

$2.05 ฿68.5

$2.18 ฿72.9

-5.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.33 ฿613

$16.65 ฿556

10.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ฿111

$2.76 ฿92.2

19.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.35 ฿346

$9.11 ฿304

13.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 ฿93.9

$2.39 ฿80.0

17.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.3

$1.03 ฿34.26

61.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 ฿70.4

$1.63 ฿54.4

29.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.5

$1.50 ฿50.0

36.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.81

$1.29 ฿43.13

13.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 ฿44.04

$1.11 ฿37.03

18.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ฿35.46

$0.72 ฿24.08

47.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.45

$0.53 ฿17.59

-1.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿140

$4.31 ฿144

-2.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.36 ฿580

$17.95 ฿600

-3.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ฿58.7

$1.58 ฿52.9

11.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 ฿89.4

$2.84 ฿95.0

-5.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 ฿68.9

$0.86 ฿28.86

139.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 ฿88.3

$1.21 ฿40.29

118.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ฿30.81

$0.57 ฿18.99

61.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 ฿116

$2.35 ฿78.6

47.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ฿44.17

$1.44 ฿47.96

-8.33%

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

$23.8K ฿796.2K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

14.93%

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

$24.5K ฿818.5K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-8.61%

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

$98.4 ฿3,287

$62.3 ฿2,083

57.82%

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

$11.11 ฿371

$12.11 ฿405

-8.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.91 ฿565

$19.94 ฿666

-15.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,764

$37.07 ฿1,239

42.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.82 ฿362

$3.78 ฿126

186.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.69 ฿257

$6.50 ฿217

18.31%

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

$560 ฿18.7K

$793 ฿26.5K

-29.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K ฿391.0K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-20.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 ฿2,129

$53.7 ฿1,796

18.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.59 ฿955

$24.62 ฿823

16.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 ฿3,205

$90.9 ฿3,036

5.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 ฿2,905

$71.1 ฿2,378

22.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$455 ฿15.2K

11.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$326 ฿10.9K

$298 ฿9,954

9.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,464 ฿48.9K

$908 ฿30.4K

61.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$833 ฿27.8K

$554 ฿18.5K

50.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,509 ฿83.9K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

29.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,781 ฿59.5K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

23.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$713 ฿23.8K

$591 ฿19.7K

20.60%

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 Phangan: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Phangan

$326 31.8%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 8.7% $28

Groceries & Markets

Koh Phangan

$256 25%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 7.8% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Phangan

$126 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 25.3% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Phangan

$124 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 12.6% $16

Eating Out

Koh Phangan

$109 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 27.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Phangan

$68 6.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 26.6% $18

Getting Around

Koh Phangan

$16 * 1.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 292% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $509 in Koh Phangan 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.

Salaries run about 21% higher in Koh Phangan, 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 $29.00 in Koh Phangan versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $256 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Phangan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:38 5:38 AM

Same time as Koh Phangan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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

Koh Phangan Chiang Mai 1,010 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Koh Phangan costs about 11% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,537 per month in Koh Phangan 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Koh Phangan and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Koh Phangan, 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 in Koh Phangan at $1,024. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Koh Phangan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,024 in Koh Phangan. 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, Koh Phangan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.