Cost of Living Comparison Between Lihir Island and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Lihir Island and Chiang Mai

🙂 Solo nomad: Lihir Island is 53.7% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 70.9% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Lihir Island is 42.3% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 63.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.88 PGK 21.23

$2.03 ฿63.8

140.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.18 PGK 127

$18.59 ฿585

56.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.04 PGK 26.28

$7.48 ฿235

-19.25%

Cappuccino

$2.36 PGK 10.28

$2.00 ฿62.8

18.00%

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

$0.69 PGK 3.01

$0.85 ฿26.63

-18.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 PGK 3.05

$0.35 ฿11.05

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 PGK 15.87

$2.21 ฿69.5

65.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 PGK 10.33

$3.76 ฿118

-36.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 PGK 7.36

$1.72 ฿54.0

-1.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 PGK 6.11

$1.63 ฿51.4

-14.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 PGK 6.44

$1.16 ฿36.42

27.59%

Eggs

$2.27 PGK 9.87

$1.98 ฿62.2

14.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.93 ฿501

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.43 PGK 19.25

$3.17 ฿99.6

39.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$2.35 PGK 10.23

$10.90 ฿343

-78.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 ฿83.2

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 PGK 6.33

$1.22 ฿38.45

19.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 ฿53.4

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿49.99

Potato (1kg)

$2.37 PGK 10.29

$1.32 ฿41.63

79.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 PGK 4.29

$1.17 ฿36.74

-15.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ฿21.31

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 PGK 2.16

$0.56 ฿17.52

-10.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.02 PGK 26.20

$4.51 ฿142

33.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.44 PGK 41.06

$19.07 ฿600

-50.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 PGK 10.57

$1.77 ฿55.7

37.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 PGK 10.69

$3.18 ฿100.0

-22.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ฿30.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.90 ฿594

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ฿42.69

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 ฿42.51

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.03 ฿253

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ฿39.08

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

$21.2K ฿665.4K

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

$21.8K ฿684.0K

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

$71.2 ฿2,240

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

$14.09 ฿443

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.47 ฿549

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.07 ฿1,323

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.88 ฿216

Cinema Ticket

$5.94 ฿187

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

$307 ฿9,664

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿465.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ฿1,750

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.79 ฿842

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 ฿2,617

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.1 ฿2,204

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$427 ฿13.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,454

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 ฿25.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 ฿15.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,061 ฿64.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,533 ฿48.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$654 ฿20.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Lihir Island: March 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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