Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nadi and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,368 in Nadi, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Nadi
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Nadi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Nadi

🇫🇯 Fiji

$1,368

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,368 per month in Nadi vs $906 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nadi $1,368
Chiang Mai $906

A couple spends around $2,030 per month in Nadi vs $1,385 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nadi $2,030
Chiang Mai $1,385

A family of three spends $2,691 per month in Nadi vs $1,864 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nadi $2,691
Chiang Mai $1,864

Nadi costs about 51% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nadi sits 2% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.15 FJD 20.49

$2.13 ฿71.7

329.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.13 FJD 83.1

$19.40 ฿652

91.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 FJD 19.63

$5.47 ฿184

60.33%

Cappuccino

$4.39 FJD 9.83

$1.68 ฿56.7

161.31%

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

$1.44 FJD 3.23

$0.66 ฿22.19

118.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 FJD 2.84

$0.34 ฿11.56

273.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 FJD 5.82

$2.42 ฿81.3

7.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 FJD 9.88

$3.73 ฿126

18.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 FJD 3.13

$2.06 ฿69.2

-32.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 FJD 2.43

$1.46 ฿48.98

-25.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 FJD 2.90

$1.35 ฿45.27

-3.70%

Eggs

$2.98 FJD 6.67

$2.27 ฿76.3

31.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.30 FJD 27.54

$16.31 ฿548

-24.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.51 FJD 30.25

$2.70 ฿90.7

400.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.65 FJD 35.03

$9.20 ฿309

70.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 FJD 6.71

$2.39 ฿80.5

25.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.84 FJD 6.37

$1.04 ฿34.80

173.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.68 FJD 8.25

$1.60 ฿53.9

130.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.57

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 FJD 4.55

$1.30 ฿43.77

56.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 FJD 4.36

$1.11 ฿37.45

75.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 FJD 2.55

$0.70 ฿23.65

62.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 FJD 2.17

$0.51 ฿17.06

90.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.10 FJD 20.38

$4.13 ฿139

120.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.97 FJD 22.31

$17.78 ฿598

-43.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 FJD 5.98

$1.63 ฿54.9

63.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 FJD 7.55

$2.87 ฿96.4

17.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 FJD 1.57

$0.86 ฿28.88

-18.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ฿1,787

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 FJD 2.54

$1.22 ฿40.99

-7.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.42 FJD 0.94

$0.56 ฿18.89

-25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.83 FJD 10.82

$2.31 ฿77.8

109.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 FJD 2.83

$1.50 ฿50.4

-15.33%

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

$24.6K FJD 55.0K

$20.9K ฿701.2K

17.72%

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

$21.9K FJD 48.9K

$26.7K ฿898.8K

-18.24%

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

$66.9 FJD 150

$61.3 ฿2,059

9.22%

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

$17.84 FJD 39.93

$12.50 ฿420

42.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.80 FJD 51.1

$20.36 ฿685

11.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.41 FJD 83.8

$37.94 ฿1,275

-1.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$5.38 FJD 12.04

$6.60 ฿222

-18.48%

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

$774 ฿26.0K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿485.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.44 FJD 63.7

$54.8 ฿1,842

-48.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.49 FJD 99.6

$25.26 ฿849

76.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$58.3 FJD 130

$90.6 ฿3,045

-35.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.7 FJD 149

$73.3 ฿2,463

-8.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,129 FJD 2,527

$459 ฿15.4K

146.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 FJD 1,447

$294 ฿9,877

119.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,697 FJD 3,800

$919 ฿30.9K

84.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 FJD 2,251

$552 ฿18.6K

82.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$693 FJD 1,551

$1,917 ฿64.5K

-63.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$523 FJD 1,171

$1,445 ฿48.6K

-63.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$821 FJD 1,838

$592 ฿19.9K

38.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.25

5.57

30.16%

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

Last update for Nadi: October 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nadi

$646 46.5%

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8% 54.5% $352

Groceries & Markets

Nadi

$306 * 22.1%

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6% 23% $70

Eating Out

Nadi

$185 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4% 58.2% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nadi

$108 7.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 12.5% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Nadi

$89 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9% 23.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Nadi

$48 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 6.1% $3

Getting Around

Nadi

$6 * 0.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 905% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,129 in Nadi versus $459 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 39% higher in Nadi, 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 $37.00 in Nadi versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $306 vs $236 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇯 Nadi

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:33 10:33 PM

17:33 5:33 PM

5 h behind Nadi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Fijian Dollar FJD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 FJD = 0.447 USD

1 FJD = 0.399 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to FJD – Fijian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇫🇯 Fijian Dollar ($)

Fijian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.24 FJD (1 FJD = 0.447 USD). 1 EUR = 2.51 FJD (1 FJD = 0.399 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to FJD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Nadi Chiang Mai 9,480 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nadi
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

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

Nadi costs about 51% 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 $2,053 per month in Nadi and $1,359 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,368 in Nadi and $906 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 51%.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Nadi, 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 $906, than in Nadi at $1,368. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nadi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $906 versus $1,368 in Nadi. 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, Nadi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.