Cost of Living Comparison Between Madang and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Madang and Chiang Mai

🙂 Solo nomad: Madang is 22.8% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 35.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Madang is 17% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 2.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Madang
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.58 PGK 28.30
$2.03 ฿64.8
224.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.88 PGK 163
$18.59 ฿594
103.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.96 PGK 47.11
$7.48 ฿239
46.52%
Cappuccino
$2.46 PGK 10.59
$2.00 ฿63.8
23.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.17 PGK 5.04
$0.85 ฿27.08
37.65%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.73 PGK 3.15
$0.35 ฿11.24
108.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.91 PGK 12.53
$2.21 ฿70.7
31.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.34 PGK 18.67
$3.76 ฿120
15.43%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Madang
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.90 PGK 8.16
$1.72 ฿54.9
10.47%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 PGK 6.29
$1.63 ฿52.2
-10.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.46 PGK 6.30
$1.16 ฿37.04
25.86%
Eggs
$3.43 PGK 14.76
$1.98 ฿63.3
73.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
-
$15.93 ฿509
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.66 PGK 24.33
$3.17 ฿101
78.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.95 PGK 34.20
$10.90 ฿349
-27.06%
Apples (1kg)
$5.25 PGK 22.57
$2.65 ฿84.6
98.11%
Banana (1kg)
$2.38 PGK 10.25
$1.22 ฿39.09
95.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.00 PGK 4.31
$1.70 ฿54.3
-41.18%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.88 PGK 8.08
$1.59 ฿50.8
18.24%
Potato (1kg)
$4.94 PGK 21.24
$1.32 ฿42.33
274.24%
Onion (1kg)
$2.82 PGK 12.14
$1.17 ฿37.36
141.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$5.98 PGK 25.73
$0.68 ฿21.67
779.41%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 PGK 2.11
$0.56 ฿17.81
-12.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.17 PGK 22.22
$4.51 ฿144
14.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.78 PGK 50.7
$19.07 ฿610
-38.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.22 PGK 9.56
$1.77 ฿56.6
25.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.46 PGK 10.59
$3.18 ฿102
-22.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Madang
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.96 ฿30.78
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$18.90 ฿604
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$1.36 ฿43.41
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.35 ฿43.23
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$8.03 ฿257
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 PGK 4.74
$1.24 ฿39.74
-11.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$21.2K ฿676.6K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$21.8K ฿695.5K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Madang
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$68.2 PGK 293
$71.2 ฿2,277
-4.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
-
$14.09 ฿450
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.73 PGK 102
$17.47 ฿559
35.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Madang
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$42.07 ฿1,345
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$6.88 ฿220
-
Cinema Ticket
-
$5.94 ฿190
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Madang
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$79.5 PGK 342
$307 ฿9,827
-74.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,066 PGK 26.1K
$14.8K ฿473.0K
-59.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Madang
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$19.37 PGK 83.3
$55.7 ฿1,780
-65.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$14.36 PGK 61.7
$26.79 ฿856
-46.40%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$66.6 PGK 286
$83.2 ฿2,661
-19.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$28.50 PGK 123
$70.1 ฿2,241
-59.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Madang
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$427 ฿13.7K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$237 ฿7,580
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$979 PGK 4,210
$802 ฿25.6K
22.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$594 PGK 2,555
$503 ฿16.1K
18.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,061 ฿65.9K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,533 ฿49.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Madang
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$231 PGK 995
$654 ฿20.9K
-64.59%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
5
-

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

Last update for Madang: 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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