Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Phuket is 23.2% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 47.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Phuket is 36.9% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 84.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Phuket
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.65 ฿148
$2.03 ฿64.6
129.06%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.11 ฿1,470
$18.59 ฿593
148.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.74 ฿279
$7.48 ฿238
16.84%
Cappuccino
$3.04 ฿96.9
$2.00 ฿63.7
52.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.72 ฿22.96
$0.85 ฿27.01
-15.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 ฿12.47
$0.35 ฿11.21
11.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.44 ฿77.8
$2.21 ฿70.5
10.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 ฿121
$3.76 ฿120
0.80%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Phuket
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.14 ฿68.4
$1.72 ฿54.8
24.42%
White Bread (500g)
$1.86 ฿59.3
$1.63 ฿52.1
14.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.19 ฿69.7
$1.16 ฿36.93
88.79%
Eggs
$2.25 ฿71.6
$1.98 ฿63.1
13.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.73 ฿629
$15.93 ฿508
23.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.79 ฿121
$3.17 ฿101
19.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.55 ฿432
$10.90 ฿348
24.31%
Apples (1kg)
$3.25 ฿104
$2.65 ฿84.3
22.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.67 ฿53.3
$1.22 ฿38.98
36.89%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.39 ฿76.3
$1.70 ฿54.1
40.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.09 ฿66.7
$1.59 ฿50.7
31.45%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 ฿48.74
$1.32 ฿42.21
15.91%
Onion (1kg)
$1.51 ฿48.13
$1.17 ฿37.25
29.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.99 ฿31.53
$0.68 ฿21.61
45.59%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿16.41
$0.56 ฿17.76
-8.93%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 ฿136
$4.51 ฿144
-5.32%
Wine (Bottle)
$20.31 ฿647
$19.07 ฿608
6.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 ฿57.1
$1.77 ฿56.4
1.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 ฿88.2
$3.18 ฿101
-12.89%
🚌 Getting Around
Phuket
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.40 ฿44.77
$0.96 ฿30.70
45.83%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.70 ฿373
$18.90 ฿602
-38.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 ฿99.1
$1.36 ฿43.29
128.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.99 ฿31.71
$1.35 ฿43.11
-26.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.73 ฿438
$8.03 ฿256
70.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 ฿42.05
$1.24 ฿39.62
6.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.2K ฿868.3K
$21.2K ฿674.7K
28.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.1K ฿1.1M
$21.8K ฿693.5K
56.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Phuket
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 ฿3,838
$71.2 ฿2,271
69.01%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.93 ฿444
$14.09 ฿449
-1.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.31 ฿584
$17.47 ฿557
4.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Phuket
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$60.9 ฿1,942
$42.07 ฿1,341
44.83%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.23 ฿549
$6.88 ฿219
150.44%
Cinema Ticket
$8.71 ฿278
$5.94 ฿189
46.63%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Phuket
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$698 ฿22.2K
$307 ฿9,799
127.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.7K ฿501.6K
$14.8K ฿471.6K
6.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Phuket
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.6 ฿1,838
$55.7 ฿1,775
3.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.24 ฿1,092
$26.79 ฿854
27.81%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 ฿3,608
$83.2 ฿2,653
35.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.8 ฿2,704
$70.1 ฿2,235
20.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Phuket
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$604 ฿19.3K
$427 ฿13.6K
41.33%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$436 ฿13.9K
$237 ฿7,559
83.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,057 ฿65.6K
$802 ฿25.6K
156.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,498 ฿47.8K
$503 ฿16.0K
197.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,252 ฿135.6K
$2,061 ฿65.7K
106.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,988 ฿95.3K
$1,533 ฿48.9K
94.97%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Phuket
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$529 ฿16.9K
$654 ฿20.8K
-19.04%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.33
5
6.60%

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

Last update for Phuket: February 28, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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