Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Penrith and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,604 in Penrith, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Penrith
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Penrith Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Penrith

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,604

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,604 per month in Penrith vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Penrith $2,604
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,652 per month in Penrith vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Penrith $3,652
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,701 per month in Penrith vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Penrith $4,701
Chiang Mai $1,914

Penrith costs about 177% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Penrith sits 93% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.03 A$30.26

$2.26 ฿75.4

830.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.7 A$129

$19.18 ฿641

367.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.56 A$15.19

$5.59 ฿187

88.91%

Cappuccino

$2.04 A$2.93

$1.72 ฿57.6

18.60%

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

$3.16 A$4.54

$0.64 ฿21.54

393.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 A$3.69

$0.33 ฿11.18

675.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.57 A$12.33

$2.36 ฿78.7

263.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.96 A$7.14

$3.90 ฿130

27.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 A$2.26

$2.05 ฿68.6

-23.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.32 A$4.78

$1.40 ฿46.70

137.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 A$3.65

$1.28 ฿42.89

98.44%

Eggs

$5.16 A$7.42

$2.25 ฿75.3

129.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 A$18.82

$16.94 ฿566

-22.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 A$14.02

$2.74 ฿91.6

255.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.40 A$22.16

$9.36 ฿313

64.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 A$5.65

$2.40 ฿80.3

63.75%

Banana (1kg)

$3.08 A$4.43

$1.01 ฿33.92

204.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.04

$1.61 ฿53.9

117.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.31 A$7.65

$1.52 ฿50.7

249.34%

Potato (1kg)

$3.17 A$4.56

$1.28 ฿42.90

147.66%

Onion (1kg)

$2.80 A$4.02

$1.11 ฿37.22

152.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 A$3.57

$0.72 ฿24.09

244.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 A$1.93

$0.52 ฿17.54

157.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.42 A$65.4

$4.33 ฿145

948.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.07 A$20.24

$17.73 ฿593

-20.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.62 A$6.65

$1.63 ฿54.4

183.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 A$8.11

$2.85 ฿95.3

97.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.17 A$4.57

$0.85 ฿28.31

272.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 A$113

$53.9 ฿1,801

45.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 A$5.92

$1.17 ฿39.18

251.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 A$2.26

$0.57 ฿19.00

175.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.63 A$61.3

$2.37 ฿79.2

1698.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 A$1.70

$1.45 ฿48.32

-18.62%

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

$27.1K A$39.0K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

32.32%

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

$30.0K A$43.2K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

13.21%

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

$183 A$263

$62.3 ฿2,083

193.13%

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

$26.16 A$37.65

$12.27 ฿410

113.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.4 A$79.7

$19.97 ฿668

177.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 A$73.4

$37.91 ฿1,267

34.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.66 A$25.42

$3.76 ฿126

369.68%

Cinema Ticket

$15.88 A$22.86

$6.71 ฿224

136.66%

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

$2,390 A$3,439

$797 ฿26.6K

199.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K A$28.7K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

34.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.3 A$108

$53.3 ฿1,780

41.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.1 A$80.8

$25.05 ฿837

124.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$155

$91.6 ฿3,062

17.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$73.5 ฿2,455

82.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,371 A$1,973

$464 ฿15.5K

195.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,289 A$1,855

$305 ฿10.2K

323.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,142 A$3,082

$915 ฿30.6K

133.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,686 A$2,427

$552 ฿18.5K

205.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,992 A$7,184

$1,912 ฿63.9K

161.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,361 A$6,275

$1,438 ฿48.1K

203.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.57

6.82%

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

Last update for Penrith: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Penrith

$1.3K 49.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 76.4% $985

Groceries & Markets

Penrith

$396 15.2%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 39.9% $158

Eating Out

Penrith

$300 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 73.7% $221

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Penrith

$264 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 64.2% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Penrith

$168 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 34.8% $59

Getting Around

Penrith

$103 4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 40.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Penrith

$83 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 38% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,371 in Penrith versus $464 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Penrith versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $396 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Penrith

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

09:04 9:04 AM

4 h behind Penrith

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,343

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Penrith Chiang Mai 8,010 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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Penrith
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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

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

Penrith costs about 177% 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 $3,905 per month in Penrith and $1,408 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $2,390 per month in Penrith and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 66% more in Penrith, 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 Penrith at $2,604. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Penrith it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,604 in Penrith. 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, Penrith makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.