Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palau and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,985 in Palau, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

🇵🇼 Palau
$1,985
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$906
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Palau is 144.8% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 119.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Palau is 101.1% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 116% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Palau
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.61 $13.61
$2.13 ฿71.4
538.97%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$75.1 $75.1
$19.40 ฿649
286.96%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.94 $9.94
$5.47 ฿183
81.72%
Cappuccino
$4.04 $4.04
$1.68 ฿56.4
140.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.40 $1.40
$0.66 ฿22.10
112.12%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.05 $1.05
$0.34 ฿11.52
208.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.53 $1.53
$2.42 ฿81.0
-36.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 $2.14
$3.73 ฿125
-42.63%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Palau
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.59 $2.59
$2.06 ฿68.9
25.73%
White Bread (500g)
$3.05 $3.05
$1.46 ฿48.78
108.90%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.26 $0.26
$1.35 ฿45.09
-80.74%
Eggs
$6.35 $6.35
$2.27 ฿76.0
179.74%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.95 $9.95
$16.31 ฿546
-38.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.65 $13.65
$2.70 ฿90.3
405.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.59 $19.59
$9.20 ฿308
112.93%
Apples (1kg)
$5.37 $5.37
$2.39 ฿80.1
124.69%
Banana (1kg)
$2.26 $2.26
$1.04 ฿34.66
117.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.57 $5.57
$1.60 ฿53.7
248.13%
Tomato (1kg)
$16.51 $16.51
$1.44 ฿48.37
1046.53%
Potato (1kg)
$4.70 $4.70
$1.30 ฿43.59
261.54%
Onion (1kg)
$3.40 $3.40
$1.11 ฿37.29
206.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.98 $1.98
$0.70 ฿23.55
182.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 $1.74
$0.51 ฿16.99
241.18%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$14.91 $14.91
$4.13 ฿138
261.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$22.37 $22.37
$17.78 ฿595
25.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.49 $3.49
$1.63 ฿54.7
114.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.40 $3.40
$2.87 ฿96.0
18.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Palau
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.86 ฿28.76
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$53.2 ฿1,780
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.47 $2.47
$1.22 ฿40.81
102.46%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$0.56 ฿18.81
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.86 $5.86
$2.31 ฿77.5
153.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.92 $1.92
$1.50 ฿50.2
28.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.8K $17.8K
$20.9K ฿698.3K
-14.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$15.2K $15.2K
$26.7K ฿895.0K
-43.27%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Palau
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$170 $170
$61.3 ฿2,051
178.01%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$52.3 $52.3
$12.50 ฿419
318.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$198 $198
$20.36 ฿682
870.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Palau
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$79.3 $79.3
$37.94 ฿1,270
109.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.77 ฿126
-
Cinema Ticket
-
$6.60 ฿221
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Palau
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$255 $255
$774 ฿25.9K
-67.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$14.4K ฿483.2K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Palau
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$84.0 $84.0
$54.8 ฿1,835
53.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$65.4 $65.4
$25.26 ฿846
158.87%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$195 $195
$90.6 ฿3,032
115.07%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$195 $195
$73.3 ฿2,453
165.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Palau
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$737 $737
$459 ฿15.4K
60.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$530 $530
$294 ฿9,835
80.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,156 $2,156
$919 ฿30.8K
134.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$934 $934
$552 ฿18.5K
69.26%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$1,917 ฿64.2K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,445 ฿48.4K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Palau
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$773 $773
$592 ฿19.8K
30.55%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
5.57
-

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

Last update for Palau: October 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Palau
$530
Chiang Mai
$294 44.6% $236
Groceries & Markets
Palau
$504
Chiang Mai
$236 53.1% $268
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Palau
$420
Chiang Mai
$94 77.6% $326
Clothing & Footwear
Palau
$243
Chiang Mai
$110 54.7% $133
Eating Out
Palau
$209
Chiang Mai
$77 63% $132
Sport & Entertainment
Palau
$79 *
Chiang Mai
$51 35.5% $28
Getting Around
Palau
$2.5 *
Chiang Mai
$61 2354% $58

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

Good to know
🇵🇼 Palau
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
16:44 4:44 PM
14:44 2:44 PM
2 h behind Palau
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
21,729
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Palau Chiang Mai 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Palau
  • 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

Palau vs other spots: cost of living compared

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