Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mackay and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,209 in Mackay, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Mackay
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Mackay Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Mackay

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,209

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,209 per month in Mackay vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mackay $2,209
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,489 per month in Mackay vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mackay $3,489
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,769 per month in Mackay vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mackay $4,769
Chiang Mai $1,979

Mackay costs about 136% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mackay sits 62% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 A$24.50

$2.24 ฿75.6

668.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.8 A$108

$19.00 ฿641

299.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.42 A$17.67

$5.55 ฿187

123.78%

Cappuccino

$4.30 A$6.12

$1.67 ฿56.5

157.49%

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

$3.39 A$4.82

$0.64 ฿21.55

429.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 A$3.89

$0.31 ฿10.31

783.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.97 A$9.91

$2.36 ฿79.6

195.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.87 A$9.77

$3.66 ฿124

87.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 A$2.71

$1.95 ฿65.8

-2.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.51 A$3.57

$1.44 ฿48.48

74.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 A$4.02

$1.33 ฿45.04

112.03%

Eggs

$6.02 A$8.56

$2.28 ฿77.1

164.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.70 A$13.80

$16.45 ฿555

-41.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.53 A$12.13

$2.78 ฿93.9

206.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.45 A$23.40

$9.31 ฿314

76.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 A$5.25

$2.35 ฿79.4

57.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.05

$0.97 ฿32.80

193.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 A$4.27

$1.60 ฿53.9

87.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.72 A$9.56

$1.50 ฿50.6

348.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.59

$1.28 ฿43.12

97.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 A$3.64

$1.10 ฿37.19

132.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.24 A$4.61

$0.71 ฿23.82

356.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.11 A$4.43

$0.49 ฿16.37

534.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.23 A$62.9

$4.14 ฿140

968.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.63 A$12.28

$17.52 ฿591

-50.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.24 A$7.46

$1.61 ฿54.5

225.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.05 A$8.60

$2.78 ฿94.0

117.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 A$3.44

$0.87 ฿29.31

178.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.8 A$97.9

$54.1 ฿1,826

27.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.88 A$8.36

$1.16 ฿39.06

406.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.06 A$2.93

$0.53 ฿17.80

288.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.28 A$50.2

$2.42 ฿81.8

1357.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 A$1.81

$1.45 ฿48.90

-12.41%

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

$27.1K A$38.6K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

28.81%

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

$35.4K A$50.4K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

31.55%

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

$235 A$334

$62.2 ฿2,098

277.67%

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

$29.32 A$41.70

$12.17 ฿411

140.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$78.9 A$112

$20.12 ฿679

292.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.0 A$74.0

$37.31 ฿1,259

39.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.14 A$30.07

$3.77 ฿127

460.74%

Cinema Ticket

$16.46 A$23.40

$6.49 ฿219

153.62%

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

$1,860 A$2,645

$736 ฿24.8K

152.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,747 A$9,596

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-54.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 A$101

$53.4 ฿1,801

33.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 A$71.1

$24.64 ฿831

102.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 A$175

$91.5 ฿3,087

34.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 A$150

$71.9 ฿2,428

46.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$956 A$1,360

$482 ฿16.3K

98.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$829 A$1,180

$309 ฿10.4K

168.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,903 A$2,707

$1,006 ฿33.9K

89.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,779 A$2,530

$633 ฿21.4K

180.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,115 A$4,430

$2,363 ฿79.8K

31.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,763 A$2,508

$1,589 ฿53.6K

10.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,517 A$7,846

$590 ฿19.9K

835.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.63

5.57

1.08%

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

Last update for Mackay: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mackay

$829 37.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 62.8% $520

Groceries & Markets

Mackay

$400 18.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 41.5% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mackay

$343 15.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 72.5% $249

Eating Out

Mackay

$300 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 74.1% $222

Clothing & Footwear

Mackay

$157 7.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 30.8% $48

Getting Around

Mackay

$95 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 35.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Mackay

$85 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 40.8% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $956 in Mackay 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 Mackay are about 9.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Mackay versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $400 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Mackay

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:40 8:40 PM

17:40 5:40 PM

3 h behind Mackay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,455

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.63 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mackay Chiang Mai 7,040 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Mackay
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

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

Mackay costs about 136% 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 $3,314 per month in Mackay 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 $956 in Mackay.

Kindergarten costs $1,860 per month in Mackay 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 71% more in Mackay, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,209 in Mackay 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, Mackay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.