Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Launceston, Australia and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,039 in Launceston, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Launceston
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Launceston Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Launceston

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,039

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,039 per month in Launceston vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Launceston $2,039
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,913 per month in Launceston vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Launceston $2,913
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,786 per month in Launceston vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Launceston $3,786
Chiang Mai $1,979

Launceston costs about 118% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Launceston sits 50% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.35 A$24.66

$2.24 ฿75.7

674.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.2 A$105

$19.00 ฿642

290.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.23 A$11.70

$5.55 ฿188

48.29%

Cappuccino

$3.37 A$4.79

$1.67 ฿56.6

101.80%

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

$1.38 A$1.96

$0.64 ฿21.56

115.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.22

$0.31 ฿10.32

632.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.47 A$9.20

$2.36 ฿79.6

174.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.14 A$10.14

$3.66 ฿124

95.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 A$2.68

$1.95 ฿65.8

-3.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 A$3.61

$1.44 ฿48.51

76.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 A$1.75

$1.33 ฿45.07

-7.52%

Eggs

$3.70 A$5.26

$2.28 ฿77.1

62.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.02 A$14.24

$16.45 ฿556

-39.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.33 A$11.84

$2.78 ฿94.0

199.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.31 A$14.65

$9.31 ฿314

10.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.07

$2.35 ฿79.5

21.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.87 A$4.08

$0.97 ฿32.82

195.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 A$3.89

$1.60 ฿53.9

71.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 A$6.74

$1.50 ฿50.7

216.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 A$2.90

$1.28 ฿43.15

59.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 A$1.97

$1.10 ฿37.22

26.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 A$3.63

$0.71 ฿23.84

260.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 A$0.76

$0.49 ฿16.38

10.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$36.28 A$51.6

$4.14 ฿140

776.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.47 A$20.56

$17.52 ฿592

-17.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.10 A$7.24

$1.61 ฿54.5

216.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.43 A$7.71

$2.78 ฿94.0

95.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.52 A$5.01

$0.87 ฿29.33

304.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.7 A$79.1

$54.1 ฿1,827

2.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 A$6.37

$1.16 ฿39.08

286.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 A$2.94

$0.53 ฿17.82

290.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.53 A$59.0

$2.42 ฿81.8

1616.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 A$1.82

$1.45 ฿48.93

-11.72%

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

$28.1K A$39.9K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

33.35%

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

$33.4K A$47.5K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

24.01%

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

$226 A$321

$62.2 ฿2,100

263.66%

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

$29.09 A$41.34

$12.17 ฿411

139.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.8 A$76.5

$20.12 ฿680

167.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.45 A$70.3

$37.31 ฿1,260

32.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$16.96 A$24.10

$6.49 ฿219

161.33%

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

$1,996 A$2,837

$736 ฿24.9K

171.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.0K A$29.8K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

42.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.1 A$110

$53.4 ฿1,802

44.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 A$76.4

$24.64 ฿832

118.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 A$148

$91.5 ฿3,089

13.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 A$177

$71.9 ฿2,429

73.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 A$1,643

$482 ฿16.3K

139.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$811 A$1,153

$309 ฿10.4K

162.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,616 A$2,296

$1,006 ฿34.0K

60.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,112 A$1,580

$633 ฿21.4K

75.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,644 A$9,441

$590 ฿19.9K

1026.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.72%

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

Last update for Launceston: 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

Launceston

$811 39.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 61.9% $502

Groceries & Markets

Launceston

$324 15.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 27.6% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Launceston

$309 15.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 69.4% $215

Eating Out

Launceston

$265 13%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 70.7% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Launceston

$162 7.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 32.9% $53

Getting Around

Launceston

$85 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 27.5% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Launceston

$83 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 39.7% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,156 in Launceston 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.

Salaries in Launceston are about 11 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Launceston versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $324 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Launceston

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:27 12:27 PM

08:27 8:27 AM

4 h behind Launceston

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,943

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Launceston Chiang Mai 8,330 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Launceston
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

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

Launceston costs about 118% 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 $3,059 per month in Launceston and $1,403 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,156 in Launceston.

Kindergarten costs $1,996 per month in Launceston and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Launceston, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,039 in Launceston and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Launceston makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.