Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Moe and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,334 in Moe, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Moe
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Moe Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Moe

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,334

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,334 per month in Moe vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Moe $2,334
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,461 per month in Moe vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Moe $3,461
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,588 per month in Moe vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Moe $4,588
Chiang Mai $1,979

Moe costs about 149% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Moe sits 71% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.15 A$20.20

$2.24 ฿75.5

531.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 A$112

$19.00 ฿640

313.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.06 A$14.37

$5.55 ฿187

81.26%

Cappuccino

$3.76 A$5.36

$1.67 ฿56.4

125.15%

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

$3.04 A$4.34

$0.64 ฿21.51

375.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 A$1.98

$0.31 ฿10.29

345.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.24 A$7.49

$2.36 ฿79.5

122.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$6.95

$3.66 ฿123

33.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 A$1.15

$1.95 ฿65.7

-58.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 A$4.10

$1.44 ฿48.41

99.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 A$3.63

$1.33 ฿44.97

90.98%

Eggs

$3.45 A$4.93

$2.28 ฿77.0

51.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.39 A$14.84

$16.45 ฿554

-36.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.15 A$11.63

$2.78 ฿93.8

193.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.14 A$21.62

$9.31 ฿314

62.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 A$4.12

$2.35 ฿79.3

22.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.77 A$3.96

$0.97 ฿32.75

185.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 A$4.23

$1.60 ฿53.8

85.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.45 A$6.36

$1.50 ฿50.6

196.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 A$3.08

$1.28 ฿43.06

67.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 A$3.65

$1.10 ฿37.14

132.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.54

$0.71 ฿23.79

249.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 A$2.03

$0.49 ฿16.34

189.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$31.23 A$44.59

$4.14 ฿140

654.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.68 A$18.11

$17.52 ฿590

-27.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.55 A$5.07

$1.61 ฿54.4

120.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 A$4.93

$2.78 ฿93.8

24.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.69 A$3.84

$0.87 ฿29.27

209.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.9 A$121

$54.1 ฿1,823

57.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.34 A$3.34

$1.16 ฿39.00

101.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 A$2.02

$0.53 ฿17.78

167.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.61 A$35.15

$2.42 ฿81.6

916.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 A$1.68

$1.45 ฿48.82

-18.62%

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

$29.4K A$42.0K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

39.66%

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

$26.3K A$37.6K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-2.23%

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

$157 A$224

$62.2 ฿2,095

152.63%

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

$27.69 A$39.55

$12.17 ฿410

127.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.9 A$82.7

$20.12 ฿678

187.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.3 A$79.0

$37.31 ฿1,257

48.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.68 A$22.40

$3.77 ฿127

315.92%

Cinema Ticket

$17.64 A$25.20

$6.49 ฿219

171.80%

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

$2,451 A$3,500

$736 ฿24.8K

232.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.1K A$42.9K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

103.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.8 A$117

$53.4 ฿1,799

53.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.33 A$70.5

$24.64 ฿830

100.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$171

$91.5 ฿3,083

31.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 A$189

$71.9 ฿2,424

84.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 A$1,755

$482 ฿16.3K

154.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 A$1,641

$309 ฿10.4K

271.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,492 A$3,558

$1,006 ฿33.9K

147.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,892 A$2,701

$633 ฿21.3K

198.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,872 A$8,386

$2,363 ฿79.6K

148.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,018 A$7,166

$1,589 ฿53.6K

215.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,411 A$2,016

$590 ฿19.9K

139.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.57

5.92%

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

Last update for Moe: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Moe

$1.1K 49.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 73.1% $840

Groceries & Markets

Moe

$332 14.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 29.4% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Moe

$243 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 61.1% $148

Eating Out

Moe

$242 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 68% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Moe

$173 7.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 37.1% $64

Getting Around

Moe

$105 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 41.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Moe

$91 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 44.5% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,229 in Moe 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 Moe are about 2.4 times higher, 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 $79 in Moe versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Moe

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:24 9:24 PM

17:24 5:24 PM

4 h behind Moe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,700

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.7 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.7 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Moe Chiang Mai 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Moe
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

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

Moe costs about 149% 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 $3,501 per month in Moe 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,229 in Moe.

Kindergarten costs $2,451 per month in Moe and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Moe, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,334 in Moe and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Moe makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.