Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Old Harbour and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $998 in Old Harbour, rent and utilities included – about $720 less a year. The total is higher in Old Harbour despite lower rent and utilities.

49

Cost of Living Index in Old Harbour
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Old Harbour Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Old Harbour

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$998

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $998 per month in Old Harbour vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Old Harbour $998
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,652 per month in Old Harbour vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Old Harbour $1,652
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,305 per month in Old Harbour vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Old Harbour $2,305
Chiang Mai $1,914

Old Harbour costs about 6% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Old Harbour and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Old Harbour 26% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.53 JMD 2,138

$2.26 ฿75.4

498.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.1 JMD 11.7K

$19.18 ฿641

286.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.93 JMD 1,253

$5.59 ฿187

41.86%

Cappuccino

$5.24 JMD 828

$1.72 ฿57.6

204.65%

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

$1.20 JMD 190

$0.64 ฿21.54

87.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 JMD 115

$0.33 ฿11.18

121.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 JMD 343

$2.36 ฿78.7

-8.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.17 JMD 500

$3.90 ฿130

-18.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.03 JMD 636

$2.05 ฿68.6

96.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.77 JMD 595

$1.40 ฿46.70

169.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 JMD 251

$1.28 ฿42.89

24.22%

Eggs

$3.47 JMD 548

$2.25 ฿75.3

54.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 JMD 1,783

$16.94 ฿566

-33.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.38 JMD 1,008

$2.74 ฿91.6

132.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.30 JMD 1,628

$9.36 ฿313

10.04%

Apples (1kg)

$6.09 JMD 963

$2.40 ฿80.3

153.75%

Banana (1kg)

$3.80 JMD 601

$1.01 ฿33.92

276.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.45 JMD 1,177

$1.61 ฿53.9

362.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 JMD 484

$1.52 ฿50.7

101.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.28 JMD 519

$1.28 ฿42.90

156.25%

Onion (1kg)

$2.70 JMD 427

$1.11 ฿37.22

143.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.03 JMD 479

$0.72 ฿24.09

320.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 JMD 229

$0.52 ฿17.54

178.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.24 JMD 1,459

$4.33 ฿145

113.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.41 JMD 1,803

$17.73 ฿593

-35.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 JMD 442

$1.63 ฿54.4

71.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 JMD 633

$2.85 ฿95.3

40.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 JMD 184

$1.17 ฿39.18

-0.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.07 JMD 486

$0.57 ฿19.00

438.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.13 JMD 968

$2.37 ฿79.2

158.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 JMD 232

$1.45 ฿48.32

1.38%

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

$44.8K JMD 7.1M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

118.70%

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

$32.8K JMD 5.2M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

23.79%

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

$164 JMD 26.0K

$62.3 ฿2,083

163.56%

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

$29.43 JMD 4,650

$12.27 ฿410

139.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 JMD 8,374

$19.97 ฿668

165.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$13.05 JMD 2,062

$6.71 ฿224

94.49%

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

$361 JMD 57.0K

$797 ฿26.6K

-54.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,389 JMD 1.3M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-43.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.49 JMD 3,710

$53.3 ฿1,780

-55.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.98 JMD 5,053

$25.05 ฿837

27.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.2 JMD 12.0K

$91.6 ฿3,062

-16.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 JMD 16.4K

$73.5 ฿2,455

41.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿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 Old Harbour: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Old Harbour

$383 38.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 37.8% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Old Harbour

$247 24.7%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 61.7% $152

Eating Out

Old Harbour

$220 22%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 64.1% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Old Harbour

$106 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 3.3% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Old Harbour

$26 * 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 96.6% $25

Getting Around

Old Harbour

$17 * 1.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 271% $45

Accommodation & Living

Old Harbour

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Old Harbour versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $383 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Old Harbour

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:32 1:32 PM

01:32 1:32 AM

12 h ahead of Old Harbour

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,024

127,240

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Old Harbour Chiang Mai 15,910 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Old Harbour
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

Old Harbour vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Old Harbour costs about 6% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,497 per month in Old Harbour and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Old Harbour 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 61% more in Old Harbour, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Old Harbour at $998. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Old Harbour it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $998 in Old Harbour. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Old Harbour makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.