Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kununurra and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $2,495 in Kununurra, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Kununurra
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Kununurra Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kununurra

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,495

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,495 per month in Kununurra vs $906 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kununurra $2,495
Chiang Mai $906

A couple spends around $3,588 per month in Kununurra vs $1,385 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kununurra $3,588
Chiang Mai $1,385

A family of three spends $4,682 per month in Kununurra vs $1,864 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kununurra $4,682
Chiang Mai $1,864

Kununurra costs about 175% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kununurra sits 86% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.56 A$25.13

$2.13 ฿71.4

724.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.1 A$120

$19.40 ฿649

333.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.60 A$15.17

$5.47 ฿183

93.78%

Cappuccino

$4.09 A$5.85

$1.68 ฿56.4

143.45%

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

$2.86 A$4.09

$0.66 ฿22.10

333.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 A$3.27

$0.34 ฿11.52

570.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.80 A$11.16

$2.42 ฿81.0

222.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.65 A$10.94

$3.73 ฿125

105.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 A$2.32

$2.06 ฿68.9

-21.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 A$3.97

$1.46 ฿48.78

89.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 A$3.09

$1.35 ฿45.09

60.00%

Eggs

$4.88 A$6.98

$2.27 ฿76.0

114.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.46 A$13.54

$16.31 ฿546

-42.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.26 A$13.25

$2.70 ฿90.3

242.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.74 A$21.10

$9.20 ฿308

60.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.76 A$5.38

$2.39 ฿80.1

57.32%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 A$4.32

$1.04 ฿34.66

190.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 A$4.68

$1.60 ฿53.7

104.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.64 A$6.64

$1.44 ฿48.37

222.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.76 A$3.95

$1.30 ฿43.59

112.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.57

$1.11 ฿37.29

125.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.35

$0.70 ฿23.55

234.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 A$2.26

$0.51 ฿16.99

209.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$27.62 A$39.53

$4.13 ฿138

568.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.17 A$20.28

$17.78 ฿595

-20.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.85 A$6.94

$1.63 ฿54.7

197.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 A$7.67

$2.87 ฿96.0

86.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.90 A$4.15

$0.86 ฿28.76

237.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.8 A$119

$53.2 ฿1,780

55.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 A$5.12

$1.22 ฿40.81

193.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 A$2.34

$0.56 ฿18.81

192.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.47 A$56.5

$2.31 ฿77.5

1608.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 A$1.83

$1.50 ฿50.2

-14.67%

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

$26.7K A$38.2K

$20.9K ฿698.3K

28.04%

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

$29.8K A$42.6K

$26.7K ฿895.0K

11.40%

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

$208 A$297

$61.3 ฿2,051

239.32%

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

$28.38 A$40.62

$12.50 ฿419

127.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.4 A$82.1

$20.36 ฿682

181.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 A$79.3

$37.94 ฿1,270

46.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.83 A$25.52

$3.77 ฿126

372.94%

Cinema Ticket

$15.26 A$21.84

$6.60 ฿221

131.21%

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

$2,182 A$3,122

$774 ฿25.9K

181.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.2K A$28.9K

$14.4K ฿483.2K

39.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.6 A$110

$54.8 ฿1,835

39.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 A$77.0

$25.26 ฿846

113.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$158

$90.6 ฿3,032

22.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 A$178

$73.3 ฿2,453

69.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,394 A$1,995

$459 ฿15.4K

203.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 A$1,725

$294 ฿9,835

310.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,137 A$3,058

$919 ฿30.8K

132.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,843 A$2,637

$552 ฿18.5K

233.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,881 A$8,416

$1,917 ฿64.2K

206.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,000 A$7,156

$1,445 ฿48.4K

246.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ฿19.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

5.57

4.85%

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

Last update for Kununurra: October 6, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kununurra

$1.2K 47.8%

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8% 75.6% $912

Groceries & Markets

Kununurra

$369 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6% 36.1% $133

Eating Out

Kununurra

$296 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4% 73.9% $219

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kununurra

$294 11.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 67.9% $200

Clothing & Footwear

Kununurra

$164 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9% 33.2% $55

Getting Around

Kununurra

$106 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 42.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Kununurra

$86 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 40.5% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,394 in Kununurra versus $459 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 $84.0 in Kununurra versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $369 vs $236 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Kununurra

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:50 5:50 PM

16:50 4:50 PM

1 h behind Kununurra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,300

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kununurra Chiang Mai 5,040 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Kununurra
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

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

Kununurra costs about 175% 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 $3,742 per month in Kununurra and $1,359 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 $2,182 per month in Kununurra and $774 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 56% more in Kununurra, 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 $906, than in Kununurra at $2,495. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kununurra it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $906 versus $2,495 in Kununurra. 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, Kununurra makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.