Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Negril and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Negril and in Chiang Mai: $927 and $936 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Negril
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Negril Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Negril

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$927

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $927 per month in Negril vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Negril $927
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,478 per month in Negril vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Negril $1,478
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,029 per month in Negril vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Negril $2,029
Chiang Mai $1,979

Negril is about 1% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Negril and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Negril 32% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.68 JMD 1,526

$2.24 ฿75.7

332.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.26 JMD 7,767

$19.00 ฿642

159.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.05 JMD 1,269

$5.55 ฿188

45.05%

Cappuccino

$2.05 JMD 323

$1.67 ฿56.6

22.75%

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

$1.15 JMD 181

$0.64 ฿21.56

79.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 JMD 117

$0.31 ฿10.32

138.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 JMD 341

$2.36 ฿79.6

-8.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 JMD 503

$3.66 ฿124

-12.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.02 JMD 634

$1.95 ฿65.8

106.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.37 JMD 532

$1.44 ฿48.51

134.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 JMD 249

$1.33 ฿45.07

18.80%

Eggs

$3.51 JMD 554

$2.28 ฿77.1

53.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 JMD 1,773

$16.45 ฿556

-31.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.33 JMD 998

$2.78 ฿94.0

127.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.19 JMD 1,606

$9.31 ฿314

9.45%

Apples (1kg)

$6.06 JMD 956

$2.35 ฿79.5

157.87%

Banana (1kg)

$3.96 JMD 624

$0.97 ฿32.82

308.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.47 JMD 1,177

$1.60 ฿53.9

366.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.99 JMD 471

$1.50 ฿50.7

99.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 JMD 497

$1.28 ฿43.15

146.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 JMD 406

$1.10 ฿37.22

134.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.99 JMD 472

$0.71 ฿23.84

321.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 JMD 227

$0.49 ฿16.38

193.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.33 JMD 1,471

$4.14 ฿140

125.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.27 JMD 1,776

$17.52 ฿592

-35.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 JMD 460

$1.61 ฿54.5

81.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 JMD 622

$2.78 ฿94.0

41.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 JMD 193

$1.16 ฿39.08

5.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 JMD 509

$0.53 ฿17.82

509.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.36 JMD 1,002

$2.42 ฿81.8

162.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 JMD 232

$1.45 ฿48.93

1.38%

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

$43.7K JMD 6.9M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

107.55%

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

$32.6K JMD 5.1M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

21.07%

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

$166 JMD 26.2K

$62.2 ฿2,100

167.46%

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

$29.95 JMD 4,722

$12.17 ฿411

146.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.9 JMD 8,179

$20.12 ฿680

157.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$13.26 JMD 2,090

$6.49 ฿219

104.31%

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

$362 JMD 57.0K

$736 ฿24.9K

-50.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,121 JMD 1.3M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-44.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.75 JMD 3,745

$53.4 ฿1,802

-55.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.90 JMD 4,873

$24.64 ฿832

25.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 JMD 12.1K

$91.5 ฿3,089

-15.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 JMD 16.4K

$71.9 ฿2,429

44.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 JMD 158.5K

$482 ฿16.3K

108.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

5.57

69.66%

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

Last update for Negril: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Negril

$378 40.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 38% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Negril

$248 26.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 61.9% $154

Eating Out

Negril

$151 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 48.6% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Negril

$106 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 2.6% $2.8

Sport & Entertainment

Negril

$27 * 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 89.7% $24

Getting Around

Negril

$17 * 1.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 254% $44

Accommodation & Living

Negril

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,005 in Negril 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 $49 in Negril versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $378 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Negril

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:11 10:11 AM

22:11 10:11 PM

12 h ahead of Negril

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,779

127,240

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.34 USD). 1 EUR = 176 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.7 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Negril Chiang Mai 15,880 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Negril
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 1% more than Negril, 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 $1,390 per month in Negril 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,005 in Negril.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Negril and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 38% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $927 in Negril and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $927 in Negril to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.