Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Margaret River and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,566 in Margaret River, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Margaret River
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Margaret River Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Margaret River

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,566

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,566 per month in Margaret River vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Margaret River $2,566
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,723 per month in Margaret River vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Margaret River $3,723
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,880 per month in Margaret River vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Margaret River $4,880
Chiang Mai $1,914

Margaret River costs about 173% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Margaret River sits 90% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.82 A$28.39

$2.26 ฿75.7

776.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.0 A$117

$19.18 ฿644

327.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 A$15.13

$5.59 ฿188

88.91%

Cappuccino

$4.42 A$6.33

$1.72 ฿57.9

156.98%

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

$2.92 A$4.18

$0.64 ฿21.63

356.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 A$3.13

$0.33 ฿11.23

560.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.31 A$11.90

$2.36 ฿79.1

252.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.52 A$12.21

$3.90 ฿131

118.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 A$2.46

$2.05 ฿68.9

-16.10%

White Bread (500g)

$3.16 A$4.53

$1.40 ฿46.90

125.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 A$2.84

$1.28 ฿43.07

54.69%

Eggs

$5.26 A$7.54

$2.25 ฿75.6

133.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.03 A$12.94

$16.94 ฿569

-46.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.00 A$12.90

$2.74 ฿92.0

228.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.70 A$19.62

$9.36 ฿314

46.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.45 A$6.37

$2.40 ฿80.6

85.42%

Banana (1kg)

$3.10 A$4.44

$1.01 ฿34.06

206.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 A$4.90

$1.61 ฿54.1

112.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.03 A$7.20

$1.52 ฿51.0

230.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.13

$1.28 ฿43.08

125.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 A$2.75

$1.11 ฿37.38

72.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 A$3.32

$0.72 ฿24.19

222.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 A$1.96

$0.52 ฿17.61

161.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.56 A$61.0

$4.33 ฿145

882.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 A$18.05

$17.73 ฿595

-28.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.22 A$6.05

$1.63 ฿54.7

158.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 A$4.91

$2.85 ฿95.7

20.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 A$4.23

$0.85 ฿28.43

247.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.2 A$118

$53.9 ฿1,809

52.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.58 A$5.13

$1.17 ฿39.34

205.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 A$2.07

$0.57 ฿19.08

152.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.63 A$58.2

$2.37 ฿79.5

1614.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.93

$1.45 ฿48.52

-6.90%

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

$27.7K A$39.7K

$20.5K ฿687.1K

35.21%

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

$29.1K A$41.6K

$26.5K ฿889.8K

9.66%

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

$197 A$282

$62.3 ฿2,092

215.74%

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

$32.94 A$47.18

$12.27 ฿412

168.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.3 A$92.0

$19.97 ฿670

221.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 A$80.2

$37.91 ฿1,272

47.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.38 A$24.89

$3.76 ฿126

362.23%

Cinema Ticket

$17.17 A$24.60

$6.71 ฿225

155.89%

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

$2,306 A$3,304

$797 ฿26.8K

189.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K A$32.8K

$14.8K ฿497.8K

54.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.3 A$111

$53.3 ฿1,787

45.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.4 A$93.6

$25.05 ฿841

160.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 A$176

$91.6 ฿3,075

34.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 A$234

$73.5 ฿2,465

122.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,387 A$1,986

$464 ฿15.6K

198.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,199 A$1,718

$305 ฿10.2K

293.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,170 A$3,108

$915 ฿30.7K

137.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,825 A$2,614

$552 ฿18.5K

230.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,036 A$7,214

$1,912 ฿64.2K

163.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,814 A$6,896

$1,438 ฿48.3K

234.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,954 A$4,232

$595 ฿20.0K

396.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

5.57

6.10%

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

Last update for Margaret River: 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

Margaret River

$1.2K 46.8%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 74.6% $895

Groceries & Markets

Margaret River

$362 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 34.2% $124

Eating Out

Margaret River

$322 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 75.5% $243

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Margaret River

$294 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 67.8% $199

Clothing & Footwear

Margaret River

$193 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 43.3% $84

Getting Around

Margaret River

$105 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 41.5% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Margaret River

$90 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 43.2% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,387 in Margaret River 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.

Salaries run about 396% higher in Margaret River, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Margaret River versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Margaret River

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:17 4:17 AM

03:17 3:17 AM

1 h behind Margaret River

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 33.56 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.46 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Margaret River Chiang Mai 6,110 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Margaret River
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

Margaret River vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Margaret River costs about 173% 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 $3,849 per month in Margaret River 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $2,306 per month in Margaret River and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Margaret River, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Margaret River at $2,566. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Margaret River it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,566 in Margaret River. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Margaret River makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.