Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mount Victoria and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,614 in Mount Victoria, rent and utilities included – about $20,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Mount Victoria
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Mount Victoria Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Mount Victoria

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,614

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,614 per month in Mount Victoria vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mount Victoria $2,614
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $3,779 per month in Mount Victoria vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mount Victoria $3,779
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $4,944 per month in Mount Victoria vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mount Victoria $4,944
Chiang Mai $1,999

Mount Victoria costs about 179% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mount Victoria sits 93% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.09 A$30.11

$2.13 ฿71.9

890.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.4 A$128

$18.62 ฿628

380.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.57 A$15.09

$5.60 ฿189

88.75%

Cappuccino

$4.16 A$5.95

$1.66 ฿56.0

150.60%

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

$3.10 A$4.43

$0.65 ฿21.80

376.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 A$3.75

$0.30 ฿10.28

776.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.48 A$12.11

$2.32 ฿78.3

265.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.56 A$13.66

$3.67 ฿124

160.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 A$2.19

$2.02 ฿67.9

-24.26%

White Bread (500g)

$3.24 A$4.63

$1.41 ฿47.45

129.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.68

$1.39 ฿46.90

84.89%

Eggs

$5.41 A$7.72

$2.37 ฿79.8

128.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.29 A$18.98

$16.52 ฿557

-19.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.84 A$14.05

$2.67 ฿90.0

268.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.54 A$22.19

$9.02 ฿304

72.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.92 A$5.60

$2.40 ฿80.8

63.33%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.64

$1.04 ฿35.09

212.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.59 A$5.13

$1.66 ฿55.9

116.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.11 A$7.30

$1.56 ฿52.5

227.56%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 A$4.34

$1.24 ฿41.71

145.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 A$3.88

$1.09 ฿36.62

149.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 A$3.56

$0.76 ฿25.67

227.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 A$1.90

$0.51 ฿17.33

160.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.84 A$64.0

$4.12 ฿139

988.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.08 A$20.11

$17.93 ฿604

-21.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.66 A$6.65

$1.62 ฿54.7

187.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 A$7.80

$2.82 ฿95.1

93.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 A$3.82

$0.93 ฿31.49

188.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$83.2 A$119

$52.9 ฿1,782

57.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 A$5.66

$1.18 ฿39.65

236.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.33

$0.17 ฿5.78

858.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.69 A$62.4

$1.81 ฿61.1

2313.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.89

$1.47 ฿49.63

-9.52%

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

$28.3K A$40.3K

$21.0K ฿708.1K

34.46%

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

$26.1K A$37.2K

$26.5K ฿893.6K

-1.64%

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

$184 A$263

$62.6 ฿2,108

194.09%

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

$26.92 A$38.44

$11.60 ฿391

132.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.7 A$79.6

$20.30 ฿684

174.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.7 A$81.0

$37.88 ฿1,277

49.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.97 A$25.67

$3.70 ฿125

385.68%

Cinema Ticket

$15.66 A$22.37

$6.51 ฿219

140.55%

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

$2,435 A$3,478

$727 ฿24.5K

235.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.5K A$29.3K

$16.6K ฿558.5K

23.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.5 A$109

$53.5 ฿1,804

42.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 A$81.6

$24.80 ฿836

130.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 A$151

$90.4 ฿3,046

17.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$188

$72.0 ฿2,425

82.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,401 A$2,000

$481 ฿16.2K

191.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 A$1,791

$310 ฿10.4K

304.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,258 A$3,225

$1,058 ฿35.7K

113.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,841 A$2,630

$659 ฿22.2K

179.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,903 A$8,430

$2,418 ฿81.5K

144.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,970 A$7,097

$1,609 ฿54.2K

208.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,188 A$5,981

$595 ฿20.0K

604.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.57

6.82%

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

Last update for Mount Victoria: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mount Victoria

$1.3K 48%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 75.3% $944

Groceries & Markets

Mount Victoria

$397 15.2%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 40.4% $161

Eating Out

Mount Victoria

$335 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 77.1% $258

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mount Victoria

$267 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 64.6% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Mount Victoria

$167 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 35.1% $59

Getting Around

Mount Victoria

$106 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 44.7% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Mount Victoria

$88 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 42.2% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,401 in Mount Victoria 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.

Salaries in Mount Victoria are about 7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Mount Victoria versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $397 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Mount Victoria

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:11 11:11 PM

19:11 7:11 PM

4 h behind Mount Victoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

989

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

Mount Victoria Chiang Mai 7,960 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Mount Victoria
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

Mount Victoria vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mount Victoria costs about 179% 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 $3,921 per month in Mount Victoria 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 $481 there versus $1,401 in Mount Victoria.

Kindergarten costs $2,435 per month in Mount Victoria and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 68% more in Mount Victoria, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,614 in Mount Victoria and $935 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, Mount Victoria makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.