Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nakhon Ratchasima and Pattaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakhon Ratchasima: $776 a month against $1,055 in Pattaya, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Pattaya
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Pattaya Living Index

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Nakhon Ratchasima

🇹🇭 Thailand

$776

/mo nomad

Pattaya

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nakhon Ratchasima and in Pattaya

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 Pattaya actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $776 in Nakhon Ratchasima versus $1,055 in Pattaya.

Nakhon Ratchasima $776
Pattaya $1,055

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,277 in Nakhon Ratchasima versus $1,734 in Pattaya.

Nakhon Ratchasima $1,277
Pattaya $1,734

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,778 in Nakhon Ratchasima versus $2,414 in Pattaya.

Nakhon Ratchasima $1,778
Pattaya $2,414

Living in Nakhon Ratchasima costs roughly 26% less than in Pattaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nakhon Ratchasima 43% lower, Pattaya 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.93 ฿98.9

$3.04 ฿102

-3.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.99 ฿876

$32.70 ฿1,102

-20.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 ฿209

$8.67 ฿292

-28.49%

Cappuccino

$1.97 ฿66.5

$1.96 ฿66.2

0.51%

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

$0.52 ฿17.67

$0.66 ฿22.33

-21.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.47

$0.29 ฿9.63

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 ฿58.4

$2.38 ฿80.3

-27.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 ฿90.7

$2.65 ฿89.3

1.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ฿53.7

$1.70 ฿57.3

-6.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 ฿42.41

$1.46 ฿49.22

-13.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 ฿41.15

$1.41 ฿47.49

-13.48%

Eggs

$1.44 ฿48.60

$2.17 ฿73.3

-33.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.42 ฿520

$15.25 ฿514

1.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.65 ฿89.4

$2.55 ฿86.1

3.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.93 ฿335

$9.97 ฿336

-0.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.12 ฿105

$3.38 ฿114

-7.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ฿40.84

$1.24 ฿41.81

-2.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 ฿64.8

$1.86 ฿62.7

3.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 ฿63.1

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.80

$1.18 ฿39.85

5.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 ฿34.38

$1.06 ฿35.86

-3.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 ฿41.23

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 ฿12.68

$0.48 ฿16.04

-20.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 ฿94.2

$4.33 ฿146

-35.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.54 ฿591

$17.95 ฿605

-2.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ฿56.2

$1.70 ฿57.1

-1.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 ฿97.8

$3.00 ฿101

-3.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ฿15.55

$0.53 ฿17.88

-13.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.30 ฿650

$19.62 ฿661

-1.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.05 ฿35.47

$1.30 ฿43.81

-19.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 ฿37.87

$1.07 ฿36.19

4.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.34 ฿248

$3.60 ฿121

103.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ฿47.08

$1.47 ฿49.66

-4.76%

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

$44.6K ฿1.5M

$45.4K ฿1.5M

-1.70%

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

$26.7K ฿899.3K

$26.8K ฿903.7K

-0.48%

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

$87.2 ฿2,937

$93.5 ฿3,152

-6.80%

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

$11.55 ฿389

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.04 ฿642

$19.11 ฿644

-0.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.52 ฿1,568

$42.49 ฿1,432

9.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.78 ฿498

$20.52 ฿692

-27.97%

Cinema Ticket

$4.72 ฿159

$7.49 ฿252

-36.98%

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

$178 ฿5,996

$623 ฿21.0K

-71.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿486.9K

$14.2K ฿477.6K

1.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 ฿1,728

$51.1 ฿1,720

0.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.82 ฿971

$29.47 ฿993

-2.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.4 ฿2,576

$92.5 ฿3,118

-17.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.6 ฿2,279

$76.1 ฿2,563

-11.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$222 ฿7,464

$618 ฿20.8K

-64.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 ฿5,329

$396 ฿13.3K

-60.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$1,655 ฿55.8K

-70.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$429 ฿14.5K

$948 ฿32.0K

-54.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,407 ฿114.8K

$2,807 ฿94.6K

21.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,712 ฿57.7K

$1,808 ฿60.9K

-5.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$602 ฿20.3K

$456 ฿15.4K

31.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.1

5.96

-14.43%

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

Last update for Nakhon Ratchasima: October 27, 2026

Last update for Pattaya: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Nakhon Ratchasima

$233 30%

Pattaya

$242 23% 4% $9.3

Accommodation & Living

Nakhon Ratchasima

$158 20.4%

Pattaya

$396 37.5% 150% $238

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nakhon Ratchasima

$118 15.2%

Pattaya

$124 11.8% 5.5% $6.4

Clothing & Footwear

Nakhon Ratchasima

$101 13%

Pattaya

$112 10.6% 11.1% $11

Eating Out

Nakhon Ratchasima

$83 10.7%

Pattaya

$95 9% 14.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Nakhon Ratchasima

$56 7.2%

Pattaya

$57 5.5% 2.7% $1.5

Getting Around

Nakhon Ratchasima

$28 3.6%

Pattaya

$28 2.7% 2.1% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $222 in Nakhon Ratchasima and $618 in Pattaya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nakhon Ratchasima pays 32% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $26 in Nakhon Ratchasima vs $33 in Pattaya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $242 per month, with Nakhon Ratchasima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Nakhon Ratchasima

🇹🇭 Pattaya

🕒 Local time

10:28 10:28 AM

Same time as Nakhon Ratchasima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

126,391

119,532

💱 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

On the map

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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 Pattaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $776 in Nakhon Ratchasima and $1,055 in Pattaya, so Nakhon Ratchasima is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 32% higher in Nakhon Ratchasima, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $222 in Nakhon Ratchasima versus $618 in Pattaya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Pattaya. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $776 per month in Nakhon Ratchasima versus $1,055 in Pattaya – Nakhon Ratchasima is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Nakhon Ratchasima gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Nakhon Ratchasima and Pattaya are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.