Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mawlamyine and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Mawlamyine: $657 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Mawlamyine
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Mawlamyine Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Mawlamyine

🇲🇲 Myanmar

$657

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $657 per month in Mawlamyine vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mawlamyine $657
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $960 per month in Mawlamyine vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mawlamyine $960
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,264 per month in Mawlamyine vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mawlamyine $1,264
Chiang Mai $1,999

Mawlamyine is about 30% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mawlamyine and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Mawlamyine 51% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.02 MMK 4,233

$2.13 ฿71.8

-5.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.04 MMK 10.6K

$5.60 ฿188

-10.00%

Cappuccino

$0.98 MMK 2,056

$1.66 ฿55.9

-40.96%

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

$0.52 MMK 1,098

$0.65 ฿21.75

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 MMK 3,182

$3.67 ฿123

-58.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 MMK 1,791

$2.02 ฿67.8

-57.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 MMK 1,078

$1.41 ฿47.34

-63.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

Eggs

$2.98 MMK 6,238

$2.37 ฿79.6

25.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.41 MMK 17.6K

$16.52 ฿555

-49.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.08 MMK 4,365

$2.67 ฿89.8

-22.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.75 MMK 7,841

$9.02 ฿303

-58.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.60 MMK 3,344

$2.40 ฿80.6

-33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 MMK 1,829

$1.04 ฿35.01

-16.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 MMK 3,602

$1.66 ฿55.8

3.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 MMK 5,758

$1.56 ฿52.4

76.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 MMK 3,228

$1.24 ฿41.61

24.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 MMK 769

$1.09 ฿36.53

-66.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 MMK 3,229

$0.76 ฿25.61

102.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 MMK 439

$0.51 ฿17.29

-58.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 MMK 2,573

$1.62 ฿54.6

-24.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 MMK 3,811

$2.82 ฿94.9

-35.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 MMK 3,084

$0.93 ฿31.42

58.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 MMK 4,081

$1.18 ฿39.56

65.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.55 MMK 5,330

$0.17 ฿5.76

1400.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.78 MMK 3,723

$1.47 ฿49.51

21.09%

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

$49.7K MMK 104.1M

$21.0K ฿706.4K

136.67%

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

$34.4K MMK 72.1M

$26.5K ฿891.4K

29.89%

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

$76.3 MMK 159.6K

$62.6 ฿2,103

21.88%

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

$25.08 MMK 52.5K

$11.60 ฿390

116.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.12 MMK 102.9K

$20.30 ฿683

141.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$122 MMK 255.5K

$37.88 ฿1,274

222.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.13 MMK 10.7K

$3.70 ฿124

38.65%

Cinema Ticket

$9.87 MMK 20.7K

$6.51 ฿219

51.61%

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

$501 MMK 1.0M

$727 ฿24.4K

-31.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,850 MMK 18.5M

$16.6K ฿557.2K

-46.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.57 MMK 82.8K

$53.5 ฿1,800

-26.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.48 MMK 74.3K

$24.80 ฿834

43.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$23.60 MMK 49.4K

$72.0 ฿2,420

-67.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$254 MMK 532.2K

$481 ฿16.2K

-47.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$121 MMK 253.3K

$310 ฿10.4K

-60.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$594 MMK 1.2M

$1,058 ฿35.6K

-43.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$252 MMK 527.1K

$659 ฿22.1K

-61.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$807 MMK 1.7M

$2,418 ฿81.3K

-66.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$493 MMK 1.0M

$1,609 ฿54.1K

-69.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-10.23%

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

Last update for Mawlamyine: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mawlamyine

$150 22.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 37.2% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Mawlamyine

$142 21.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 64.1% $91

Groceries & Markets

Mawlamyine

$130 * 19.8%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 81.7% $106

Accommodation & Living

Mawlamyine

$121 18.4%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 156% $189

Eating Out

Mawlamyine

$48 * 7.3%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 58.8% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Mawlamyine

$44 * 6.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 144% $64

Getting Around

Mawlamyine

$21 * 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 185% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $254 in Mawlamyine 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.

Good to know

🇲🇲 Mawlamyine

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:22 2:22 AM

02:52 2:52 AM

30 min ahead of Mawlamyine

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

300,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Myanmar Kyat MMK K

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 MMK = 4.78 USD

10,000 MMK = 4.24 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MMK – Myanmar Kyat Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇲 Myanmar Kyat (K)

Myanmar Kyat exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 2,094 MMK (10,000 MMK = 4.78 USD). 1 EUR = 2,357 MMK (10,000 MMK = 4.24 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to MMK in detail →

On the map

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Mawlamyine Chiang Mai 290 km

From you

Mawlamyine
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 42% more than Mawlamyine, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $985 per month in Mawlamyine 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 Mawlamyine, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $254 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $657 in Mawlamyine and $935 in Chiang Mai. That makes Mawlamyine about 30% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 82% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Mawlamyine, where all-in costs run around $657, than in Chiang Mai at $935. In Mawlamyine it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mawlamyine – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.