Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Miaoli and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Miaoli: $768 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Miaoli
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Miaoli Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Miaoli

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$768

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $768 per month in Miaoli vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Miaoli $768
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,069 per month in Miaoli vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Miaoli $1,069
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,370 per month in Miaoli vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Miaoli $1,370
Chiang Mai $1,979

Miaoli is about 18% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Miaoli and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Miaoli 44% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.53 NT$82.1

$2.24 ฿75.7

12.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.04 NT$747

$19.00 ฿642

21.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.69 NT$152

$5.55 ฿188

-15.50%

Cappuccino

$2.94 NT$95.4

$1.67 ฿56.6

76.05%

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

$0.83 NT$26.77

$0.64 ฿21.56

29.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 NT$17.90

$0.31 ฿10.32

77.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.20 NT$38.81

$2.36 ฿79.6

-49.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 NT$41.56

$3.66 ฿124

-65.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.64 NT$85.6

$1.95 ฿65.8

35.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 NT$39.62

$1.44 ฿48.51

-15.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 NT$85.7

$1.33 ฿45.07

98.50%

Eggs

$2.05 NT$66.6

$2.28 ฿77.1

-10.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 NT$290

$16.45 ฿556

-45.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.43 NT$241

$2.78 ฿94.0

167.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.11 NT$685

$9.31 ฿314

126.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.77 NT$122

$2.35 ฿79.5

60.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 NT$63.5

$0.97 ฿32.82

102.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 NT$94.4

$1.60 ฿53.9

81.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 NT$101

$1.50 ฿50.7

106.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 NT$81.9

$1.28 ฿43.15

97.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 NT$61.8

$1.10 ฿37.22

73.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.20 NT$71.3

$0.71 ฿23.84

209.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 NT$29.00

$0.49 ฿16.38

81.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.86 NT$125

$4.14 ฿140

-6.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.90 NT$354

$17.52 ฿592

-37.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 NT$45.44

$1.61 ฿54.5

-13.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 NT$68.2

$2.78 ฿94.0

-24.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 NT$91.2

$1.16 ฿39.08

142.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 NT$23.97

$0.53 ฿17.82

39.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.07 NT$229

$2.42 ฿81.8

192.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 NT$32.81

$1.45 ฿48.93

-30.34%

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

$36.7K NT$1.2M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

74.16%

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

$22.8K NT$738.9K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-15.41%

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

$68.0 NT$2,205

$62.2 ฿2,100

9.36%

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

$17.30 NT$561

$12.17 ฿411

42.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.61 NT$701

$20.12 ฿680

7.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$10.84 NT$351

$6.49 ฿219

67.03%

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

$508 NT$16.5K

$736 ฿24.9K

-30.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.8K NT$1.0M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

108.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.19 NT$395

$53.4 ฿1,802

-77.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.87 NT$774

$24.64 ฿832

-3.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.2 NT$2,016

$91.5 ฿3,089

-32.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.1 NT$3,052

$71.9 ฿2,429

30.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$211 NT$6,840

$482 ฿16.3K

-56.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 NT$5,064

$309 ฿10.4K

-49.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,374 NT$77.0K

$590 ฿19.9K

302.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.38

5.57

-57.27%

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

Last update for Miaoli: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Miaoli

$306 39.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 23.5% $72

Accommodation & Living

Miaoli

$156 20.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 97.8% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Miaoli

$107 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 11.6% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Miaoli

$87 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 25.5% $22

Eating Out

Miaoli

$84 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 7.3% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Miaoli

$22 * 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 132% $29

Getting Around

Miaoli

$6.5 * 0.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 843% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $211 in Miaoli 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 Miaoli are about 4 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Miaoli versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $306 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Miaoli

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:08 10:08 PM

21:08 9:08 PM

1 h behind Miaoli

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,892

127,240

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.77 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.09 TWD (100 TWD = 2.77 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Miaoli Chiang Mai 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Miaoli
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 22% more than Miaoli, 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 $1,152 per month in Miaoli 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 Miaoli, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $211 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Miaoli and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 24% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $768 in Miaoli and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

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.