Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nakhon Ratchasima and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakhon Ratchasima: $776 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Nakhon Ratchasima
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Nakhon Ratchasima Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Nakhon Ratchasima

🇹🇭 Thailand

$776

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $776 per month in Nakhon Ratchasima vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nakhon Ratchasima $776
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,277 per month in Nakhon Ratchasima vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nakhon Ratchasima $1,277
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,778 per month in Nakhon Ratchasima vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nakhon Ratchasima $1,778
Chiang Mai $1,979

Nakhon Ratchasima is about 17% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Nakhon Ratchasima and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Nakhon Ratchasima 43% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.24 ฿75.5

30.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.99 ฿876

$19.00 ฿640

36.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 ฿209

$5.55 ฿187

11.71%

Cappuccino

$1.97 ฿66.5

$1.67 ฿56.4

17.96%

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

$0.52 ฿17.67

$0.64 ฿21.51

-18.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.47

$0.31 ฿10.29

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 ฿58.4

$2.36 ฿79.5

-26.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ฿90.7

$3.66 ฿123

-26.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ฿53.7

$1.95 ฿65.7

-18.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 ฿42.41

$1.44 ฿48.41

-12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 ฿41.15

$1.33 ฿44.97

-8.27%

Eggs

$1.44 ฿48.60

$2.28 ฿77.0

-36.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.42 ฿520

$16.45 ฿554

-6.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.65 ฿89.4

$2.78 ฿93.8

-4.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.93 ฿335

$9.31 ฿314

6.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 ฿105

$2.35 ฿79.3

32.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ฿40.84

$0.97 ฿32.75

24.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ฿64.8

$1.60 ฿53.8

20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 ฿63.1

$1.50 ฿50.6

24.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.80

$1.28 ฿43.06

-3.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 ฿34.38

$1.10 ฿37.14

-7.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ฿41.23

$0.71 ฿23.79

71.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 ฿12.68

$0.49 ฿16.34

-22.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 ฿94.2

$4.14 ฿140

-32.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.54 ฿591

$17.52 ฿590

0.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ฿56.2

$1.61 ฿54.4

3.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 ฿97.8

$2.78 ฿93.8

4.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ฿15.55

$0.87 ฿29.27

-47.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.30 ฿650

$54.1 ฿1,823

-64.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.05 ฿35.47

$1.16 ฿39.00

-9.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 ฿37.87

$0.53 ฿17.78

111.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.34 ฿248

$2.42 ฿81.6

203.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ฿47.08

$1.45 ฿48.82

-3.45%

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

$44.6K ฿1.5M

$21.1K ฿709.7K

112.01%

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

$26.7K ฿899.3K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-0.95%

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

$87.2 ฿2,937

$62.2 ฿2,095

40.20%

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

$11.55 ฿389

$12.17 ฿410

-5.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.04 ฿642

$20.12 ฿678

-5.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.52 ฿1,568

$37.31 ฿1,257

24.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.78 ฿498

$3.77 ฿127

292.04%

Cinema Ticket

$4.72 ฿159

$6.49 ฿219

-27.27%

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

$178 ฿5,996

$736 ฿24.8K

-75.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿486.9K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-2.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 ฿1,728

$53.4 ฿1,799

-3.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.82 ฿971

$24.64 ฿830

16.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.4 ฿2,576

$91.5 ฿3,083

-16.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.6 ฿2,279

$71.9 ฿2,424

-5.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 ฿7,464

$482 ฿16.3K

-54.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 ฿5,329

$309 ฿10.4K

-48.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-52.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$429 ฿14.5K

$633 ฿21.3K

-32.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,407 ฿114.8K

$2,363 ฿79.6K

44.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,712 ฿57.7K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

7.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$602 ฿20.3K

$590 ฿19.9K

2.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.1

5.57

-8.44%

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

Last update for Nakhon Ratchasima: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nakhon Ratchasima

$233 30%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 0.7% $1.5

Accommodation & Living

Nakhon Ratchasima

$158 20.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 95.4% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nakhon Ratchasima

$118 15.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 19.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Nakhon Ratchasima

$101 13%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 7.7% $7.8

Eating Out

Nakhon Ratchasima

$83 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 6.7% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Nakhon Ratchasima

$56 7.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 10.1% $5.7

Getting Around

Nakhon Ratchasima

$28 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 121% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Nakhon Ratchasima 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Nakhon Ratchasima versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $233 in Nakhon Ratchasima vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Nakhon Ratchasima wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Nakhon Ratchasima

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

Same time as Nakhon Ratchasima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

126,391

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Nakhon Ratchasima Chiang Mai 540 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Chiang Mai costs about 20% more than Nakhon Ratchasima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,165 per month in Nakhon Ratchasima 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 Nakhon Ratchasima, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $222 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Nakhon Ratchasima and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 64% less in Nakhon Ratchasima. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $776 in Nakhon Ratchasima and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Nakhon Ratchasima – 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.