Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Middlesbrough and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,089 in Middlesbrough, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Middlesbrough
Learn more

Middlesbrough Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Middlesbrough

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,089

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,089 per month in Middlesbrough vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Middlesbrough $2,089
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,001 per month in Middlesbrough vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Middlesbrough $3,001
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,913 per month in Middlesbrough vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Middlesbrough $3,913
Chiang Mai $1,914

Middlesbrough costs about 123% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Middlesbrough sits 55% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.80 £17.85

$2.26 ฿75.4

953.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.5 £54.4

$19.18 ฿641

277.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 £8.05

$5.59 ฿187

91.95%

Cappuccino

$4.69 £3.52

$1.72 ฿57.6

172.67%

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

$2.41 £1.81

$0.64 ฿21.54

276.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 £1.35

$0.33 ฿11.18

442.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.70 £3.53

$2.36 ฿78.7

99.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.17 £5.38

$3.90 ฿130

83.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 £0.92

$2.05 ฿68.6

-40.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 £1.06

$1.40 ฿46.70

0.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.45 £1.84

$1.28 ฿42.89

91.41%

Eggs

$3.70 £2.77

$2.25 ฿75.3

64.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 £5.76

$16.94 ฿566

-54.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.29 £5.47

$2.74 ฿91.6

166.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.41 £10.81

$9.36 ฿313

53.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 £1.86

$2.40 ฿80.3

3.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.38 £1.79

$1.01 ฿33.92

135.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 £1.93

$1.61 ฿53.9

59.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.60 £1.95

$1.52 ฿50.7

71.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 £1.34

$1.28 ฿42.90

39.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 £1.15

$1.11 ฿37.22

38.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 £0.87

$0.72 ฿24.09

61.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.03 £2.27

$0.52 ฿17.54

482.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.39 £16.79

$4.33 ฿145

417.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.42 £7.07

$17.73 ฿593

-46.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.43 £3.32

$1.63 ฿54.4

171.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 £2.76

$2.85 ฿95.3

29.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.53 £4.15

$0.85 ฿28.31

550.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.6 £69.5

$53.9 ฿1,801

71.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.39 £3.29

$1.17 ฿39.18

275.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.94 £19.46

$2.37 ฿79.2

994.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.45 ฿48.32

37.24%

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

$37.6K £28.2K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

83.84%

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

$39.8K £29.9K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

50.28%

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

$346 £260

$62.3 ฿2,083

455.61%

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

$16.93 £12.70

$12.27 ฿410

37.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.87 £31.41

$19.97 ฿668

109.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.69 £37.28

$37.91 ฿1,267

31.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.46 £24.35

$3.76 ฿126

763.30%

Cinema Ticket

$14.43 £10.83

$6.71 ฿224

115.05%

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

$795 £596

$797 ฿26.6K

-0.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.4K £30.3K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

172.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 £79.8

$53.3 ฿1,780

99.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.8 £40.36

$25.05 ฿837

114.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 £82.7

$91.6 ฿3,062

20.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 £78.2

$73.5 ฿2,455

41.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 £748

$464 ฿15.5K

114.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$683 £513

$305 ฿10.2K

124.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 £721

$915 ฿30.6K

4.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$955 £716

$552 ฿18.5K

72.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,303 £1,728

$595 ฿19.9K

286.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.64

5.57

1.26%

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

Last update for Middlesbrough: 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

Middlesbrough

$683 32.7%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 55.4% $379

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Middlesbrough

$405 19.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 76.7% $311

Eating Out

Middlesbrough

$334 16%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 76.3% $255

Groceries & Markets

Middlesbrough

$301 14.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 21% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Middlesbrough

$169 8.1%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 35% $59

Getting Around

Middlesbrough

$119 * 5.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 48.5% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Middlesbrough

$79 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 34.6% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $997 in Middlesbrough 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 287% higher in Middlesbrough, 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 $72.0 in Middlesbrough versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $301 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Middlesbrough

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:36 4:36 AM

10:36 10:36 AM

6 h ahead of Middlesbrough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,000

127,240

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Middlesbrough Chiang Mai 8,950 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Middlesbrough
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

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

Middlesbrough costs about 123% 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 $3,134 per month in Middlesbrough 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 $795 per month in Middlesbrough 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 27% more in Middlesbrough, 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 Middlesbrough at $2,089. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Middlesbrough it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,089 in Middlesbrough. 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, Middlesbrough makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.