Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nha Trang and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Nha Trang: $686 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Nha Trang
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Nha Trang Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Nha Trang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$686

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $686 per month in Nha Trang vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nha Trang $686
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,120 per month in Nha Trang vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nha Trang $1,120
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,554 per month in Nha Trang vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nha Trang $1,554
Chiang Mai $1,914

Nha Trang is about 27% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Nha Trang and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Nha Trang 49% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.70 ₫69.9K

$2.26 ฿75.3

19.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.79 ₫589.5K

$19.18 ฿641

18.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.66 ₫120.6K

$5.59 ฿187

-16.64%

Cappuccino

$1.70 ₫44.1K

$1.72 ฿57.6

-1.16%

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

$0.36 ₫9,381

$0.64 ฿21.53

-43.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ₫5,954

$0.33 ฿11.17

-30.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.64 ₫16.7K

$2.36 ฿78.7

-72.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 ₫30.9K

$3.90 ฿130

-69.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 ₫36.9K

$2.05 ฿68.6

-30.24%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 ₫11.5K

$1.40 ฿46.68

-67.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₫26.5K

$1.28 ฿42.87

-20.31%

Eggs

$1.41 ₫36.5K

$2.25 ฿75.2

-37.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.24 ₫316.6K

$16.94 ฿566

-27.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.13 ₫80.9K

$2.74 ฿91.6

14.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.04 ₫285.7K

$9.36 ฿313

17.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ₫48.8K

$2.40 ฿80.2

-21.25%

Banana (1kg)

$0.83 ₫21.5K

$1.01 ฿33.90

-17.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.07 ₫27.8K

$1.61 ฿53.9

-33.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.52 ฿50.7

-19.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 ₫21.7K

$1.28 ฿42.87

-34.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 ₫18.6K

$1.11 ฿37.20

-35.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.72 ฿24.08

2.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 ₫10.6K

$0.52 ฿17.53

-21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$4.33 ฿145

-63.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.67 ₫301.8K

$17.73 ฿592

-34.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₫15.2K

$1.63 ฿54.4

-63.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₫46.1K

$2.85 ฿95.3

-37.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ₫7,653

$0.85 ฿28.29

-64.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,800

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 ₫15.5K

$1.17 ฿39.15

-48.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.57 ฿18.99

-1.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.1

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 ₫23.9K

$1.45 ฿48.29

-36.55%

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

$31.2K ₫807.4M

$20.5K ฿683.9K

52.43%

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

$28.2K ₫729.2M

$26.5K ฿885.5K

6.30%

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

$76.9 ₫2.0M

$62.3 ฿2,082

23.34%

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

$6.41 ₫165.8K

$12.27 ฿410

-47.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.49 ₫245.4K

$19.97 ฿667

-52.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.91 ₫566.9K

$37.91 ฿1,266

-42.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 ₫456.6K

$3.76 ฿125

369.41%

Cinema Ticket

$1.95 ₫50.6K

$6.71 ฿224

-70.94%

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

$209 ₫5.4M

$797 ฿26.6K

-73.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,811 ₫98.6M

$14.8K ฿495.4K

-74.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.73 ₫1.1M

$53.3 ฿1,779

-23.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.56 ₫1.3M

$91.6 ฿3,060

-47.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,454

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 ₫10.7M

$464 ฿15.5K

-10.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$279 ₫7.2M

$305 ฿10.2K

-8.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$760 ₫19.7M

$915 ฿30.6K

-16.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$631 ₫16.3M

$552 ฿18.4K

14.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,803 ₫72.5M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

46.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,509 ₫39.0M

$1,438 ฿48.0K

4.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$293 ₫7.6M

$595 ฿19.9K

-50.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Nha Trang: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nha Trang

$279 40.6%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 9.4% $26

Groceries & Markets

Nha Trang

$181 26.3%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 31.8% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nha Trang

$93 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 2% $1.8

Eating Out

Nha Trang

$64 9.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 23.4% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Nha Trang

$40 * 5.9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 173% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Nha Trang

$26 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 98.8% $26

Getting Around

Nha Trang

$4.6 * 0.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 1245% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $415 in Nha Trang versus $464 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 103% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Nha Trang versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $181 in Nha Trang vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Nha Trang wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Nha Trang

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:09 2:09 PM

Same time as Nha Trang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

579,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.43 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 25,872 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 29,132 VND (100,000 VND = 3.43 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.4 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nha Trang Chiang Mai 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Nha Trang
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

Nha Trang vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 37% more than Nha Trang, 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 $1,030 per month in Nha Trang and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nha Trang, 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 $23.00 in Nha Trang and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Nha Trang, where all-in costs run around $686, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Nha Trang 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. Nha Trang costs $686 versus $938 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 Nha Trang. 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.