Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pattaya and Nakhon Ratchasima

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakhon Ratchasima: $777 a month against $1,041 in Pattaya, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Nakhon Ratchasima
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Nakhon Ratchasima Living Index

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Pattaya

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,041

/mo nomad

Nakhon Ratchasima

🇹🇭 Thailand

$777

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pattaya and in Nakhon Ratchasima

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 Nakhon Ratchasima actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,041 in Pattaya versus $777 in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Pattaya $1,041
Nakhon Ratchasima $777

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,665 in Pattaya versus $1,275 in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Pattaya $1,665
Nakhon Ratchasima $1,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,288 in Pattaya versus $1,773 in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Pattaya $2,288
Nakhon Ratchasima $1,773

Living in Pattaya is roughly 34% more expensive than in Nakhon Ratchasima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pattaya 23% lower, Nakhon Ratchasima 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.37 ฿113

$2.84 ฿94.9

18.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.40 ฿1,183

$26.08 ฿871

35.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 ฿296

$6.01 ฿201

47.42%

Cappuccino

$2.06 ฿68.7

$1.92 ฿64.2

7.29%

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

$0.71 ฿23.64

$0.57 ฿19.14

24.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.40

$0.29 ฿9.65

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.9

$1.83 ฿61.1

28.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 ฿88.1

$2.75 ฿92.0

-4.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ฿59.6

$1.59 ฿53.2

11.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.90

$1.27 ฿42.52

14.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.23 ฿40.98

13.82%

Eggs

$2.19 ฿73.2

$1.50 ฿50.2

46.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.22 ฿509

$15.63 ฿522

-2.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.61 ฿87.2

$2.66 ฿88.9

-1.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.15 ฿339

$10.10 ฿338

0.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 ฿114

$3.10 ฿104

10.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ฿40.71

$1.28 ฿42.68

-4.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 ฿62.7

$1.86 ฿62.1

1.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ฿66.2

$1.95 ฿65.1

1.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ฿40.24

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.43

$1.03 ฿34.37

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 ฿42.21

$1.23 ฿41.02

2.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿14.97

$0.38 ฿12.60

18.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 ฿148

$2.89 ฿96.7

52.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.04 ฿603

$17.65 ฿590

2.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ฿58.8

$1.71 ฿57.2

2.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 ฿100

$2.99 ฿100.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 ฿20.89

$0.43 ฿14.40

46.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.40 ฿648

$18.99 ฿635

2.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ฿43.48

$1.02 ฿34.03

27.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 ฿37.63

$1.13 ฿37.66

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 ฿119

$7.30 ฿244

-51.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ฿49.47

$1.35 ฿45.03

9.63%

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

$46.4K ฿1.5M

$46.6K ฿1.6M

-0.61%

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

$26.3K ฿878.9K

$26.6K ฿889.2K

-1.15%

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

$93.7 ฿3,132

$86.1 ฿2,877

8.87%

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

$11.55 ฿386

$11.39 ฿381

1.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.15 ฿640

$19.25 ฿643

-0.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.86 ฿1,399

$46.92 ฿1,568

-10.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.27 ฿711

$14.91 ฿498

42.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ฿255

$4.71 ฿158

62.21%

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

$613 ฿20.5K

$180 ฿6,020

240.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿480.0K

$14.1K ฿470.9K

1.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 ฿1,714

$49.69 ฿1,661

3.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.14 ฿974

$29.73 ฿994

-1.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 ฿3,160

$78.9 ฿2,637

19.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 ฿2,507

$67.1 ฿2,243

11.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$564 ฿18.8K

$217 ฿7,263

159.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 ฿12.5K

$158 ฿5,292

136.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 ฿50.8K

$496 ฿16.6K

206.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$791 ฿26.4K

$420 ฿14.1K

88.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,560 ฿85.6K

$3,287 ฿109.9K

-22.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,428 ฿47.7K

$1,737 ฿58.1K

-17.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$453 ฿15.1K

$615 ฿20.6K

-26.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

5.1

16.86%

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

Last update for Pattaya: October 20, 2026

Last update for Nakhon Ratchasima: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pattaya

$374 35.9%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$158 20.4% 57.7% $216

Groceries & Markets

Pattaya

$245 23.5%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$235 30.3% 3.9% $9.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pattaya

$124 12%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$117 15% 6.2% $7.7

Clothing & Footwear

Pattaya

$113 10.8%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$101 13.1% 9.8% $11

Eating Out

Pattaya

$99 9.5%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$82 10.5% 17.6% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Pattaya

$57 5.5%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$56 7.3% 1.4% $0.8

Getting Around

Pattaya

$29 2.8%

Nakhon Ratchasima

$27 3.5% 5.1% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $564 in Pattaya and $217 in Nakhon Ratchasima. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nakhon Ratchasima pays 36% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Pattaya vs $26.00 in Nakhon Ratchasima for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $245 vs $235 per month, with Nakhon Ratchasima cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Pattaya

🇹🇭 Nakhon Ratchasima

🕒 Local time

05:51 5:51 AM

Same time as Pattaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,532

126,391

💱 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

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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 Nakhon Ratchasima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pattaya and Nakhon Ratchasima differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($1,041 vs $777 including rent). Nakhon Ratchasima is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 36% lower in Nakhon Ratchasima. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $564 in Pattaya versus $217 in Nakhon Ratchasima. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Pattaya. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Nakhon Ratchasima – a meal for two runs $26.00 versus $35.00 in Pattaya. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $777 in Nakhon Ratchasima versus $1,041 in Pattaya, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Nakhon Ratchasima but tight or insufficient in Pattaya. The gap between the two cities makes Nakhon Ratchasima the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Pattaya and Nakhon Ratchasima are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nakhon Ratchasima gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Pattaya. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.