Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Perth and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $3,027 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $25,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,027

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,027 per month in Perth vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Perth $3,027
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $4,162 per month in Perth vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Perth $4,162
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $5,297 per month in Perth vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Perth $5,297
Chiang Mai $1,903

Perth costs about 227% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Perth sits 123% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.22 A$30.54

$2.29 ฿76.5

826.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 A$122

$19.64 ฿656

330.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.01 A$15.84

$5.61 ฿188

96.26%

Cappuccino

$4.43 A$6.38

$1.66 ฿55.6

166.87%

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

$2.88 A$4.15

$0.70 ฿23.40

311.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 A$3.24

$0.31 ฿10.24

625.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.44 A$12.14

$2.41 ฿80.4

250.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.22 A$11.83

$3.71 ฿124

121.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 A$2.51

$1.95 ฿65.3

-10.77%

White Bread (500g)

$3.12 A$4.49

$1.41 ฿47.03

121.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 A$2.96

$1.31 ฿43.62

57.25%

Eggs

$5.21 A$7.50

$2.18 ฿72.9

138.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.02 A$12.98

$16.65 ฿556

-45.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 A$13.43

$2.76 ฿92.2

238.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.80 A$19.85

$9.11 ฿304

51.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.59 A$6.60

$2.39 ฿80.0

92.05%

Banana (1kg)

$3.23 A$4.65

$1.03 ฿34.26

213.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.40 A$4.89

$1.63 ฿54.4

108.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 A$7.03

$1.50 ฿50.0

226.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.12

$1.29 ฿43.13

121.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 A$2.72

$1.11 ฿37.03

70.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 A$3.15

$0.72 ฿24.08

204.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 A$2.00

$0.53 ฿17.59

162.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.45 A$61.1

$4.31 ฿144

884.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.73 A$18.31

$17.95 ฿600

-29.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.56 A$6.56

$1.58 ฿52.9

188.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 A$4.78

$2.84 ฿95.0

16.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 A$3.45

$0.86 ฿28.86

179.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.4 A$142

$53.3 ฿1,780

84.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 A$5.07

$1.21 ฿40.29

191.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.09

$0.57 ฿18.99

156.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.43 A$58.2

$2.35 ฿78.6

1620.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.95

$1.44 ฿47.96

-5.56%

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

$29.6K A$42.6K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

42.83%

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

$27.7K A$39.9K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

3.43%

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

$205 A$295

$62.3 ฿2,083

229.41%

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

$32.82 A$47.23

$12.11 ฿405

171.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.0 A$92.1

$19.94 ฿666

221.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 A$79.4

$37.07 ฿1,239

48.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.94 A$30.13

$3.78 ฿126

453.97%

Cinema Ticket

$17.27 A$24.85

$6.50 ฿217

165.69%

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

$2,320 A$3,339

$793 ฿26.5K

192.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.9K A$32.9K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

54.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.4 A$110

$53.7 ฿1,796

42.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$63.1 A$90.8

$24.62 ฿823

156.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 A$176

$90.9 ฿3,036

34.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 A$235

$71.1 ฿2,378

129.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,936 A$2,786

$455 ฿15.2K

325.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,624 A$2,337

$298 ฿9,954

445.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,820 A$4,058

$908 ฿30.4K

210.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,161 A$3,110

$554 ฿18.5K

290.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,369 A$12.0K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

333.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,001 A$8,635

$1,445 ฿48.3K

315.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,209 A$6,056

$591 ฿19.7K

612.33%

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 Perth: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Perth

$1.6K 53.7%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 81.7% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Perth

$366 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 35.6% $130

Eating Out

Perth

$335 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 76.6% $257

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Perth

$302 10%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 68.8% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Perth

$191 6.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 43.4% $83

Getting Around

Perth

$119 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 48.8% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Perth

$90 3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 44.2% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,936 in Perth versus $455 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 run about 612% higher in Perth, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in Perth versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $366 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Perth

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:57 12:57 PM

11:57 11:57 AM

1 h behind Perth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,043,762

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 21, 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 21, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Perth Chiang Mai 5,920 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Perth
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

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

Perth costs about 227% 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 $4,540 per month in Perth and $1,388 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 $2,320 per month in Perth and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 55% more in Perth, 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 $925, than in Perth at $3,027. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Perth it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $3,027 in Perth. 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, Perth makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.