Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lopburi and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Lopburi: $802 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Chiang Mai despite lower rent and utilities.

39

Cost of Living Index in Lopburi
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Lopburi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Lopburi

🇹🇭 Thailand

$802

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $802 per month in Lopburi vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lopburi $802
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,300 per month in Lopburi vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lopburi $1,300
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,797 per month in Lopburi vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lopburi $1,797
Chiang Mai $1,914

Lopburi is about 15% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lopburi and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Lopburi 41% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.31 ฿43.91

$2.26 ฿75.4

-42.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.78 ฿394

$19.18 ฿641

-38.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.45 ฿149

$5.59 ฿187

-20.39%

Cappuccino

$1.18 ฿39.40

$1.72 ฿57.6

-31.40%

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

$0.75 ฿25.06

$0.64 ฿21.54

17.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.52

$0.33 ฿11.18

-6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.13 ฿71.0

$2.36 ฿78.7

-9.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 ฿96.7

$3.90 ฿130

-25.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 ฿38.59

$2.05 ฿68.6

-43.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 ฿42.91

$1.40 ฿46.70

-8.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.72

$1.28 ฿42.89

Eggs

$1.73 ฿57.9

$2.25 ฿75.3

-23.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.59 ฿421

$16.94 ฿566

-25.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.50 ฿83.6

$2.74 ฿91.6

-8.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.96 ฿333

$9.36 ฿313

6.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.72

$2.40 ฿80.3

-42.92%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 ฿28.32

$1.01 ฿33.92

-15.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.16 ฿38.66

$1.61 ฿53.9

-27.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 ฿52.8

$1.52 ฿50.7

3.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$1.28 ฿42.90

41.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 ฿28.78

$1.11 ฿37.22

-22.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 ฿27.69

$0.72 ฿24.09

15.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 ฿13.82

$0.52 ฿17.54

-21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 ฿149

$4.33 ฿145

3.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.07 ฿470

$17.73 ฿593

-20.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.68 ฿56.3

$1.63 ฿54.4

3.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 ฿62.3

$2.85 ฿95.3

-34.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿30.93

$0.85 ฿28.31

9.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.36 ฿78.9

$1.17 ฿39.18

101.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.52 ฿50.8

$0.57 ฿19.00

166.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.00 ฿167

$2.37 ฿79.2

110.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ฿48.68

$1.45 ฿48.32

0.69%

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

$16.5K ฿552.3K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-19.29%

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

$26.1K ฿873.8K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-1.38%

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

$82.6 ฿2,759

$62.3 ฿2,083

32.47%

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

$9.32 ฿311

$12.27 ฿410

-24.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.98 ฿300

$19.97 ฿668

-55.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.06 ฿1,573

$37.91 ฿1,267

24.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.11 ฿471

$3.76 ฿126

275.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.72 ฿225

$6.71 ฿224

0.15%

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

$708 ฿23.7K

$797 ฿26.6K

-11.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,016 ฿201.0K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-59.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$6.11 ฿204

$53.3 ฿1,780

-88.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.13 ฿1,174

$25.05 ฿837

40.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.9 ฿2,404

$91.6 ฿3,062

-21.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.1 ฿1,809

$73.5 ฿2,455

-26.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$442 ฿14.8K

$464 ฿15.5K

-4.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 ฿9,904

$305 ฿10.2K

-2.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,365 ฿45.6K

$915 ฿30.6K

49.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$747 ฿25.0K

$552 ฿18.5K

35.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,932 ฿64.6K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

1.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,551 ฿51.8K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

7.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.3

5.57

13.11%

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

Last update for Lopburi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lopburi

$296 37%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 2.8% $8.3

Groceries & Markets

Lopburi

$197 24.5%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 20.9% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lopburi

$101 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 6.2% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Lopburi

$75 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 45.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Lopburi

$61 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 15.1% $9.2

Eating Out

Lopburi

$59 7.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 34.7% $20

Getting Around

Lopburi

$14 * 1.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 349% $48

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $442 in Lopburi versus $464 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 $12.00 in Lopburi versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $238 – making Lopburi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Lopburi

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:16 7:16 AM

Same time as Lopburi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,500

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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Highest

Between locations

Lopburi Chiang Mai 480 km

From you

Lopburi
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 17% more than Lopburi, 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 $1,203 per month in Lopburi and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lopburi, 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 $12.00 in Lopburi and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Lopburi, where all-in costs run around $802, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Lopburi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lopburi costs $802 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. 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 Lopburi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.