Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Parramatta and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,303 in Parramatta, rent and utilities included – about $28,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Parramatta
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Parramatta Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Parramatta

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,303

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,303 per month in Parramatta vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Parramatta $3,303
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $4,603 per month in Parramatta vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Parramatta $4,603
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $5,903 per month in Parramatta vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Parramatta $5,903
Chiang Mai $1,979

Parramatta costs about 253% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Parramatta sits 143% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.30 A$24.50

$2.24 ฿75.5

672.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 A$129

$19.00 ฿640

379.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.95 A$16.93

$5.55 ฿187

115.32%

Cappuccino

$3.95 A$5.59

$1.67 ฿56.4

136.53%

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

$3.17 A$4.49

$0.64 ฿21.51

395.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 A$3.62

$0.31 ฿10.29

725.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.55 A$12.11

$2.36 ฿79.5

262.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.43 A$10.53

$3.66 ฿123

103.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 A$2.33

$1.95 ฿65.7

-15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.80 A$3.96

$1.44 ฿48.41

94.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.38 A$3.38

$1.33 ฿44.97

78.95%

Eggs

$5.38 A$7.62

$2.28 ฿77.0

135.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.04 A$17.05

$16.45 ฿554

-26.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.56 A$13.54

$2.78 ฿93.8

243.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.42 A$21.85

$9.31 ฿314

65.63%

Apples (1kg)

$4.01 A$5.68

$2.35 ฿79.3

70.64%

Banana (1kg)

$3.21 A$4.55

$0.97 ฿32.75

230.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 A$4.93

$1.60 ฿53.8

117.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.93 A$6.99

$1.50 ฿50.6

228.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 A$4.37

$1.28 ฿43.06

140.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 A$3.46

$1.10 ฿37.14

121.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 A$3.62

$0.71 ฿23.79

260.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 A$1.96

$0.49 ฿16.34

181.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.83 A$63.5

$4.14 ฿140

982.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.05 A$19.90

$17.52 ฿590

-19.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.77

$1.61 ฿54.4

152.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 A$5.72

$2.78 ฿93.8

45.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 A$3.18

$0.87 ฿29.27

157.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$139 A$197

$54.1 ฿1,823

157.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.46 A$4.91

$1.16 ฿39.00

198.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 A$2.25

$0.53 ฿17.78

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.91 A$58.0

$2.42 ฿81.6

1590.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 A$1.90

$1.45 ฿48.82

-7.59%

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

$29.5K A$41.8K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

40.04%

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

$26.6K A$37.7K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-1.16%

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

$254 A$360

$62.2 ฿2,095

308.91%

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

$27.25 A$38.60

$12.17 ฿410

123.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.9 A$77.7

$20.12 ฿678

172.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.9 A$76.3

$37.31 ฿1,257

44.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.01 A$28.35

$3.77 ฿127

430.77%

Cinema Ticket

$15.91 A$22.54

$6.49 ฿219

145.15%

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

$2,337 A$3,311

$736 ฿24.8K

217.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.4K A$28.9K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

38.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.0 A$113

$53.4 ฿1,799

49.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 A$79.1

$24.64 ฿830

126.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 A$152

$91.5 ฿3,083

17.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 A$180

$71.9 ฿2,424

76.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,541 A$3,599

$482 ฿16.3K

426.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,872 A$2,652

$309 ฿10.4K

506.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,737 A$5,294

$1,006 ฿33.9K

271.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,728 A$3,864

$633 ฿21.3K

330.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,197 A$5,945

$2,363 ฿79.6K

77.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,358 A$4,757

$1,589 ฿53.6K

111.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,034 A$5,715

$590 ฿19.9K

584.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.92

5.57

6.28%

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

Last update for Parramatta: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Parramatta

$1.9K 56.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 83.5% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Parramatta

$381 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 38.5% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Parramatta

$336 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 71.9% $242

Eating Out

Parramatta

$302 9.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 74.3% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Parramatta

$166 5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 34.7% $58

Getting Around

Parramatta

$160 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 61.5% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Parramatta

$86 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 41.3% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,541 in Parramatta 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.

Salaries in Parramatta are about 6.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in Parramatta versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $381 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Parramatta

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:56 12:56 PM

08:56 8:56 AM

4 h behind Parramatta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,745

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.634 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Parramatta Chiang Mai 8,030 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Parramatta
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

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

Parramatta costs about 253% 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 $4,955 per month in Parramatta 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 $2,541 in Parramatta.

Kindergarten costs $2,337 per month in Parramatta and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 63% more in Parramatta, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,303 in Parramatta and $936 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 cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Parramatta makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.