Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pattaya and Maha Sarakham

For one person, living is cheaper in Maha Sarakham: $968 a month against $1,041 in Pattaya, rent and utilities included – about $880 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Pattaya
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Pattaya Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Maha Sarakham
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Maha Sarakham Living Index

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Pattaya

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,041

/mo nomad

Maha Sarakham

🇹🇭 Thailand

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pattaya and in Maha Sarakham

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Pattaya and in Maha Sarakham actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,041 per month in Pattaya vs $968 in Maha Sarakham, rent included.

Pattaya $1,041
Maha Sarakham $968

A couple spends around $1,665 per month in Pattaya vs $1,520 in Maha Sarakham, rent included.

Pattaya $1,665
Maha Sarakham $1,520

A family of three spends $2,288 per month in Pattaya vs $2,073 in Maha Sarakham, rent included.

Pattaya $2,288
Maha Sarakham $2,073

Pattaya costs about 8% more than Maha Sarakham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Pattaya and Maha Sarakham are more affordable than the global median – Pattaya 23% lower, Maha Sarakham 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.37 ฿113

$3.06 ฿102

10.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.40 ฿1,183

$26.00 ฿869

36.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 ฿296

$8.29 ฿277

6.88%

Cappuccino

$2.06 ฿68.7

$2.17 ฿72.7

-5.07%

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

$0.71 ฿23.64

$0.70 ฿23.44

1.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.40

$0.32 ฿10.81

-3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.9

$1.86 ฿62.2

26.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 ฿88.1

$3.19 ฿107

-17.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ฿59.6

$1.82 ฿60.7

-2.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.90

$1.35 ฿45.27

8.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.43 ฿47.82

-2.10%

Eggs

$2.19 ฿73.2

$2.20 ฿73.5

-0.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.22 ฿509

$16.93 ฿566

-10.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.61 ฿87.2

$2.81 ฿93.8

-7.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.15 ฿339

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 ฿114

$3.11 ฿104

10.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ฿40.71

$0.97 ฿32.58

25.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 ฿62.7

$2.16 ฿72.1

-12.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ฿66.2

$1.65 ฿55.0

20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ฿40.24

$1.39 ฿46.60

-13.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.43

$0.99 ฿33.10

4.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ฿42.21

$1.08 ฿35.97

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿14.97

$0.50 ฿16.59

-10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 ฿148

$4.47 ฿149

-1.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.04 ฿603

$20.28 ฿678

-11.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ฿58.8

$1.49 ฿49.91

18.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 ฿100

$2.68 ฿89.6

11.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ฿20.89

$0.77 ฿25.66

-18.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.40 ฿648

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ฿43.48

$1.33 ฿44.38

-2.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 ฿37.63

$1.23 ฿40.96

-8.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ฿119

$5.22 ฿174

-31.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ฿49.47

$1.56 ฿52.3

-5.13%

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

$46.4K ฿1.5M

$27.0K ฿903.6K

71.44%

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

$26.3K ฿878.9K

$26.4K ฿881.3K

-0.27%

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

$93.7 ฿3,132

$86.5 ฿2,889

8.41%

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

$11.55 ฿386

$11.06 ฿370

4.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.15 ฿640

$17.08 ฿571

12.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.86 ฿1,399

$45.45 ฿1,519

-7.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 ฿711

$11.89 ฿397

78.89%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ฿255

$6.96 ฿233

9.77%

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

$613 ฿20.5K

$485 ฿16.2K

26.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿480.0K

$9,829 ฿328.5K

46.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 ฿1,714

$43.99 ฿1,470

16.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.14 ฿974

$31.69 ฿1,059

-8.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 ฿3,160

$84.9 ฿2,837

11.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 ฿2,507

$74.1 ฿2,478

1.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$564 ฿18.8K

$398 ฿13.3K

41.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 ฿12.5K

$333 ฿11.1K

12.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 ฿50.8K

$1,045 ฿34.9K

45.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$791 ฿26.4K

$689 ฿23.0K

14.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,560 ฿85.6K

$1,718 ฿57.4K

49.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,428 ฿47.7K

$1,600 ฿53.5K

-10.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$453 ฿15.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

5.57

7.00%

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

Last update for Pattaya: October 20, 2026

Last update for Maha Sarakham: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pattaya

$374 35.9%

Maha Sarakham

$333 34.4% 11.1% $42

Groceries & Markets

Pattaya

$245 23.5%

Maha Sarakham

$250 25.8% 1.9% $4.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pattaya

$124 12%

Maha Sarakham

$115 11.8% 7.9% $9.8

Clothing & Footwear

Pattaya

$113 10.8%

Maha Sarakham

$106 10.9% 6.1% $6.9

Eating Out

Pattaya

$99 9.5%

Maha Sarakham

$95 9.8% 4.2% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Pattaya

$57 5.5%

Maha Sarakham

$59 6.1% 3.9% $2.2

Getting Around

Pattaya

$29 2.8%

Maha Sarakham

$11 * 1.1% 63.5% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $564 in Pattaya versus $398 in Maha Sarakham. 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 $35.00 in Pattaya versus $26.00 in Maha Sarakham. Groceries tell a different story – $245 in Pattaya vs $250 in Maha Sarakham – so Pattaya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Pattaya

🇹🇭 Maha Sarakham

🕒 Local time

03:30 3:30 AM

Same time as Pattaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,532

46,523

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Pattaya Maha Sarakham 450 km

From you

Pattaya
Maha Sarakham

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

Pattaya vs Maha Sarakham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,041 in Pattaya, $968 in Maha Sarakham – roughly 8% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,562 per month in Pattaya and $1,451 in Maha Sarakham. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Maha Sarakham, 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 $35.00 in Pattaya and $26.00 in Maha Sarakham. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Pattaya – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Maha Sarakham, where all-in costs run around $968, than in Pattaya at $1,041. In Maha Sarakham it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pattaya it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Pattaya has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $968 in Maha Sarakham to $1,041 in Pattaya. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Maha Sarakham. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Pattaya makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.