Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nakhon Sawan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,044 in Nakhon Sawan, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Nakhon Sawan
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Nakhon Sawan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Nakhon Sawan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,044

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,044 per month in Nakhon Sawan vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nakhon Sawan $1,044
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,620 per month in Nakhon Sawan vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nakhon Sawan $1,620
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,196 per month in Nakhon Sawan vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nakhon Sawan $2,196
Chiang Mai $1,979

Nakhon Sawan costs about 12% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Nakhon Sawan and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Nakhon Sawan 23% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.94 ฿99.3

$2.24 ฿75.6

31.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.47 ฿1,197

$19.00 ฿641

86.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.97 ฿201

$5.55 ฿187

7.57%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.67 ฿56.5

69.46%

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

$0.67 ฿22.49

$0.64 ฿21.54

4.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ฿10.93

$0.31 ฿10.31

3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 ฿90.2

$2.36 ฿79.5

13.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 ฿154

$3.66 ฿124

24.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ฿63.6

$1.95 ฿65.7

-3.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ฿49.90

$1.44 ฿48.46

2.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.88

$1.33 ฿45.03

4.51%

Eggs

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.28 ฿77.1

-26.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.17 ฿579

$16.45 ฿555

4.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.50 ฿118

$2.78 ฿93.9

25.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.82 ฿432

$9.31 ฿314

37.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.83 ฿129

$2.35 ฿79.4

62.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.71 ฿23.95

$0.97 ฿32.79

-26.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.66 ฿89.6

$1.60 ฿53.9

66.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 ฿64.4

$1.50 ฿50.6

27.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ฿40.53

$1.28 ฿43.11

-6.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 ฿40.93

$1.10 ฿37.18

10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 ฿27.68

$0.71 ฿23.82

15.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ฿16.04

$0.49 ฿16.36

-2.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.73 ฿92.0

$4.14 ฿140

-34.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.65 ฿494

$17.52 ฿591

-16.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿53.4

$1.61 ฿54.5

-1.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 ฿112

$2.78 ฿93.9

19.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.22

$0.87 ฿29.30

6.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ฿34.65

$1.16 ฿39.04

-11.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 ฿38.64

$0.53 ฿17.80

116.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.08 ฿205

$2.42 ฿81.7

151.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ฿42.37

$1.45 ฿48.88

-13.10%

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

$31.3K ฿1.1M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

48.78%

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

$27.2K ฿918.9K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

1.09%

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

$107 ฿3,606

$62.2 ฿2,098

71.90%

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

$12.68 ฿428

$12.17 ฿411

4.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.53 ฿591

$20.12 ฿679

-12.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.36 ฿1,665

$37.31 ฿1,259

32.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.51 ฿456

$3.77 ฿127

258.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 ฿257

$6.49 ฿219

17.41%

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

$794 ฿26.8K

$736 ฿24.8K

7.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ฿567.1K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

13.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.4 ฿2,341

$53.4 ฿1,801

29.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.62 ฿1,438

$24.64 ฿831

72.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 ฿3,363

$91.5 ฿3,087

8.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 ฿3,481

$71.9 ฿2,427

43.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$482 ฿16.3K

-0.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ฿11.2K

$309 ฿10.4K

7.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,318 ฿44.5K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

31.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$608 ฿20.5K

$633 ฿21.4K

-4.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,147 ฿72.4K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-9.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,943 ฿65.5K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

22.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$474 ฿16.0K

$590 ฿19.9K

-19.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

5.57

-5.75%

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

Last update for Nakhon Sawan: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nakhon Sawan

$332 31.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 7.1% $24

Groceries & Markets

Nakhon Sawan

$256 24.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 8.4% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Nakhon Sawan

$142 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 23.3% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nakhon Sawan

$137 13.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 31.1% $43

Eating Out

Nakhon Sawan

$102 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 23.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Nakhon Sawan

$65 6.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 22.2% $14

Getting Around

Nakhon Sawan

$10 * 1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 487% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Nakhon Sawan 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.

Salaries run about 24% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $35 in Nakhon Sawan versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $256 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Nakhon Sawan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

Same time as Nakhon Sawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

82,305

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

Nakhon Sawan costs about 12% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,566 per month in Nakhon Sawan and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $481 in Nakhon Sawan and $482 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Nakhon Sawan and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Nakhon Sawan, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,044 in Nakhon Sawan and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,044 in Nakhon Sawan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.