Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Northam and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,498 in Northam, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Northam
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Northam Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Northam

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,498

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,498 per month in Northam vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Northam $2,498
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $3,618 per month in Northam vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Northam $3,618
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $4,737 per month in Northam vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Northam $4,737
Chiang Mai $1,903

Northam costs about 170% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Northam sits 84% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.97 A$28.37

$2.29 ฿77.2

772.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.1 A$121

$19.64 ฿663

333.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 A$15.00

$5.61 ฿189

88.06%

Cappuccino

$4.48 A$6.36

$1.66 ฿56.1

169.88%

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

$2.84 A$4.03

$0.70 ฿23.62

305.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 A$3.25

$0.31 ฿10.33

638.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.30 A$11.79

$2.41 ฿81.2

244.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.10 A$11.51

$3.71 ฿125

118.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 A$2.48

$1.95 ฿65.9

-10.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 A$3.66

$1.41 ฿47.48

82.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 A$2.82

$1.31 ฿44.04

51.15%

Eggs

$4.48 A$6.36

$2.18 ฿73.6

105.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.37 A$9.05

$16.65 ฿562

-61.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 A$12.96

$2.76 ฿93.1

230.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.08 A$20.01

$9.11 ฿307

54.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 A$3.88

$2.39 ฿80.7

14.23%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.62

$1.03 ฿34.59

215.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.89

$1.63 ฿54.9

111.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 A$6.99

$1.50 ฿50.5

228.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.89 A$4.11

$1.29 ฿43.54

124.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 A$2.81

$1.11 ฿37.38

77.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 A$3.20

$0.72 ฿24.31

212.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 A$1.04

$0.53 ฿17.76

37.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.37 A$58.8

$4.31 ฿145

859.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.49 A$4.96

$17.95 ฿605

-80.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.40 A$6.25

$1.58 ฿53.4

178.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 A$4.99

$2.84 ฿95.9

23.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 A$4.15

$0.86 ฿29.14

239.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.6 A$114

$53.3 ฿1,798

51.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 A$5.02

$1.21 ฿40.67

191.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.07

$0.57 ฿19.17

156.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.14 A$58.5

$2.35 ฿79.4

1650.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.91

$1.44 ฿48.42

-6.25%

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

$26.9K A$38.2K

$20.7K ฿699.4K

29.53%

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

$29.5K A$41.9K

$26.8K ฿904.2K

9.93%

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

$196 A$278

$62.3 ฿2,103

214.20%

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

$24.09 A$34.24

$12.11 ฿409

98.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.3 A$91.4

$19.94 ฿673

222.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.5 A$80.2

$37.07 ฿1,251

52.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 A$25.31

$3.78 ฿127

371.16%

Cinema Ticket

$17.30 A$24.59

$6.50 ฿219

166.15%

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

$2,328 A$3,307

$793 ฿26.7K

193.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K A$33.0K

$14.8K ฿499.6K

56.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.3 A$110

$53.7 ฿1,813

43.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.3 A$94.2

$24.62 ฿831

169.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 A$174

$90.9 ฿3,065

34.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 A$229

$71.1 ฿2,400

126.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 A$1,976

$455 ฿15.4K

205.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 A$1,691

$298 ฿10.0K

299.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,173 A$3,088

$908 ฿30.6K

139.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,783 A$2,533

$554 ฿18.7K

221.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,780 A$8,213

$1,931 ฿65.1K

199.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,889 A$6,947

$1,445 ฿48.7K

238.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

5.57

6.10%

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

Last update for Northam: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Northam

$1.2K 47.6%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 75% $892

Eating Out

Northam

$323 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 75.7% $245

Groceries & Markets

Northam

$314 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 25% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Northam

$284 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 66.8% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Northam

$192 7.7%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 43.7% $84

Getting Around

Northam

$103 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 41% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Northam

$91 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 45% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,391 in Northam versus $455 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 $85 in Northam versus $20 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $314 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Northam

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:41 4:41 AM

03:41 3:41 AM

1 h behind Northam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.628 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.8 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Northam Chiang Mai 5,920 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Northam
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

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

Northam costs about 170% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,747 per month in Northam and $1,388 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 $455 there versus $1,391 in Northam.

Kindergarten costs $2,328 per month in Northam and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Northam, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,498 in Northam and $925 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 170% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.