Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nakhon Pathom and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakhon Pathom: $624 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Nakhon Pathom
Learn more

Nakhon Pathom Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Nakhon Pathom

🇹🇭 Thailand

$624

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $624 per month in Nakhon Pathom vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nakhon Pathom $624
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $839 per month in Nakhon Pathom vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nakhon Pathom $839
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,055 per month in Nakhon Pathom vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nakhon Pathom $1,055
Chiang Mai $1,903

Nakhon Pathom is about 33% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nakhon Pathom and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Nakhon Pathom 54% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.60 ฿86.9

$2.29 ฿76.5

13.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.10 ฿605

$19.64 ฿656

-7.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.06 ฿203

$5.61 ฿188

8.02%

Cappuccino

$2.16 ฿72.3

$1.66 ฿55.6

30.12%

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

$0.75 ฿24.95

$0.70 ฿23.40

7.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ฿12.61

$0.31 ฿10.24

22.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 ฿68.5

$2.41 ฿80.4

-14.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 ฿101

$3.71 ฿124

-18.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ฿49.30

$1.95 ฿65.3

-24.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.32 ฿44.14

$1.41 ฿47.03

-6.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.41

$1.31 ฿43.62

-21.37%

Eggs

$1.59 ฿53.3

$2.18 ฿72.9

-27.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.06 ฿169

$16.65 ฿556

-69.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.21 ฿73.9

$2.76 ฿92.2

-19.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.32 ฿245

$9.11 ฿304

-19.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 ฿81.1

$2.39 ฿80.0

1.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 ฿34.20

$1.03 ฿34.26

-0.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 ฿82.7

$1.63 ฿54.4

51.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 ฿52.4

$1.50 ฿50.0

4.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 ฿40.39

$1.29 ฿43.13

-6.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 ฿35.01

$1.11 ฿37.03

-5.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 ฿27.47

$0.72 ฿24.08

13.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 ฿12.37

$0.53 ฿17.59

-30.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.41 ฿147

$4.31 ฿144

2.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.36 ฿480

$17.95 ฿600

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.1

$1.58 ฿52.9

2.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ฿61.2

$2.84 ฿95.0

-35.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 ฿98.0

$0.86 ฿28.86

240.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.03

$1.21 ฿40.29

-3.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 ฿52.7

$0.57 ฿18.99

177.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.71 ฿291

$2.35 ฿78.6

270.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ฿39.26

$1.44 ฿47.96

-18.75%

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

$17.6K ฿589.1K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

-14.97%

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

$26.4K ฿881.7K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-1.56%

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

$29.92 ฿1,000

$62.3 ฿2,083

-52.00%

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

$9.42 ฿315

$12.11 ฿405

-22.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.47 ฿784

$19.94 ฿666

17.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$4.76 ฿159

$6.50 ฿217

-26.77%

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

$722 ฿24.1K

$793 ฿26.5K

-8.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K ฿362.0K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-26.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 ฿1,965

$53.7 ฿1,796

9.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.78 ฿1,564

$24.62 ฿823

90.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.1 ฿2,376

$90.9 ฿3,036

-21.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.9 ฿3,036

$71.1 ฿2,378

27.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$165 ฿5,514

$455 ฿15.2K

-63.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 ฿4,944

$298 ฿9,954

-50.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,211 ฿40.5K

$591 ฿19.7K

105.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

5.57

-37.16%

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

Last update for Nakhon Pathom: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nakhon Pathom

$177 28.3%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 33.4% $59

Accommodation & Living

Nakhon Pathom

$148 23.7%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 101% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Nakhon Pathom

$120 19.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 10.2% $12

Eating Out

Nakhon Pathom

$86 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 8.3% $7.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nakhon Pathom

$63 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 50.3% $32

Getting Around

Nakhon Pathom

$21 * 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 193% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Nakhon Pathom

$9.5 * 1.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 426% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $165 in Nakhon Pathom versus $455 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 105% higher in Nakhon Pathom, 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 $18.00 in Nakhon Pathom versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $177 vs $235 – making Nakhon Pathom the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Nakhon Pathom

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:39 6:39 PM

Same time as Nakhon Pathom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,446

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nakhon Pathom Chiang Mai 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nakhon Pathom
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

Nakhon Pathom vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 48% more than Nakhon Pathom, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $936 per month in Nakhon Pathom and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nakhon Pathom, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18.00 in Nakhon Pathom and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nakhon Pathom, where all-in costs run around $624, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Nakhon Pathom it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nakhon Pathom costs $624 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. 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 Nakhon Pathom. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.