Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisburn and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,290 in Lisburn, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Lisburn, United Kingdom
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Lisburn
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,290
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$935
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,290 per month in Lisburn vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Lisburn $2,290
  • Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $3,494 per month in Lisburn vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Lisburn $3,494
  • Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $4,698 per month in Lisburn vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Lisburn $4,698
  • Chiang Mai $1,999

Lisburn costs about 145% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisburn sits 69% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lisburn
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$28.85 £21.44
$2.13 ฿71.2
1254.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$74.3 £55.3
$18.62 ฿622
299.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.28 £10.61
$5.60 ฿187
155.00%
Cappuccino
$4.97 £3.69
$1.66 ฿55.5
199.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 £1.46
$0.65 ฿21.59
203.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 £1.39
$0.30 ฿10.18
523.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.14 £5.31
$2.32 ฿77.5
207.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.11 £4.54
$3.67 ฿122
66.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lisburn
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.90 £1.41
$2.02 ฿67.3
-5.94%
White Bread (500g)
$2.43 £1.81
$1.41 ฿47.00
72.34%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.22 £1.65
$1.39 ฿46.46
59.71%
Eggs
$4.01 £2.98
$2.37 ฿79.0
69.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.25 £6.88
$16.52 ฿551
-44.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.41 £6.25
$2.67 ฿89.1
214.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.70 £10.93
$9.02 ฿301
62.97%
Apples (1kg)
$2.95 £2.20
$2.40 ฿80.1
22.92%
Banana (1kg)
$1.56 £1.16
$1.04 ฿34.76
50.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.87 £2.13
$1.66 ฿55.4
72.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.20 £2.38
$1.56 ฿52.0
105.13%
Potato (1kg)
$1.73 £1.29
$1.24 ฿41.31
39.52%
Onion (1kg)
$1.62 £1.20
$1.09 ฿36.27
48.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.22 £0.91
$0.76 ฿25.43
60.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.53 £1.14
$0.51 ฿17.16
200.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.39 £17.39
$4.12 ฿138
467.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.88 £8.09
$17.93 ฿598
-39.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.92 £2.17
$1.62 ฿54.2
80.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.29 £2.44
$2.82 ฿94.2
16.67%
🚌 Getting Around
Lisburn
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.04 £3.00
$0.93 ฿31.19
334.41%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$98.1 £72.9
$52.9 ฿1,766
85.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.05 £3.75
$1.18 ฿39.28
327.97%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.26 £1.68
$0.17 ฿5.72
1229.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$25.84 £19.21
$1.81 ฿60.5
1327.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.04 £1.52
$1.47 ฿49.16
38.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$39.1K £29.0K
$21.0K ฿701.4K
85.92%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.8K £29.6K
$26.5K ฿885.1K
50.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisburn
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$304 £226
$62.6 ฿2,088
386.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.33 £12.88
$11.60 ฿387
49.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.92 £31.15
$20.30 ฿678
106.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lisburn
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.49 £33.07
$37.88 ฿1,264
17.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.70 £7.95
$3.70 ฿123
189.19%
Cinema Ticket
$13.67 £10.16
$6.51 ฿217
109.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lisburn
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,830 £1,360
$727 ฿24.3K
151.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.0K £17.1K
$16.6K ฿553.2K
38.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lisburn
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$85.5 £63.6
$53.5 ฿1,787
59.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.81 £34.05
$24.80 ฿828
84.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.1 £73.6
$90.4 ฿3,017
9.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.0 £72.1
$72.0 ฿2,402
34.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lisburn
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,271 £944
$481 ฿16.1K
164.06%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$872 £648
$310 ฿10.3K
181.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,039 £1,516
$1,058 ฿35.3K
92.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,672 £1,243
$659 ฿22.0K
153.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,267 £3,915
$2,418 ฿80.7K
117.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,962 £2,945
$1,609 ฿53.7K
146.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lisburn
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$595 ฿19.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.11
5.57
-8.26%

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

Last update for Lisburn: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Lisburn
$872
Chiang Mai
$310 64.5% $562
Eating Out
Lisburn
$397
Chiang Mai
$77 80.7% $320
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lisburn
$364
Chiang Mai
$94 74% $269
Groceries & Markets
Lisburn
$308
Chiang Mai
$237 23.3% $72
Clothing & Footwear
Lisburn
$147
Chiang Mai
$108 26.5% $39
Getting Around
Lisburn
$131
Chiang Mai
$59 55.1% $72
Sport & Entertainment
Lisburn
$72
Chiang Mai
$51 29.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,271 in Lisburn versus $481 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 $74 in Lisburn versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $308 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Lisburn
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
00:13 12:13 AM
07:13 7:13 AM
7 h ahead of Lisburn
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
71,403
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Lisburn Chiang Mai 9,240 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Lisburn
  • 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
Lisburn vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Lisburn or Chiang Mai?
Lisburn costs about 145% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Lisburn and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,435 per month in Lisburn and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Lisburn or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $1,271 in Lisburn.
How do childcare costs compare in Lisburn and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $1,830 per month in Lisburn and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Lisburn or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 30% more in Lisburn, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Lisburn or in Chiang Mai?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,290 in Lisburn and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for families?
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.
How safe is Lisburn compared to Chiang Mai?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 59% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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