Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Chiang Mai $1,903

Phuket costs about 31% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Phuket and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$2.29 ฿76.5

92.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$19.64 ฿656

64.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$5.61 ฿188

56.15%

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿94.5

$1.66 ฿55.6

70.48%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.70 ฿23.40

28.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.31 ฿10.24

51.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

$2.41 ฿80.4

5.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.71 ฿124

3.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$1.95 ฿65.3

-11.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$1.41 ฿47.03

4.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.31 ฿43.62

15.27%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$2.18 ฿72.9

-0.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$16.65 ฿556

18.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$2.76 ฿92.2

21.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$9.11 ฿304

22.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.39 ฿80.0

19.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.03 ฿34.26

65.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.63 ฿54.4

34.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$1.50 ฿50.0

36.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$1.29 ฿43.13

12.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$1.11 ฿37.03

24.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.72 ฿24.08

48.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.53 ฿17.59

-3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$4.31 ฿144

-1.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

$17.95 ฿600

3.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

$1.58 ฿52.9

12.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

$2.84 ฿95.0

0.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

$0.86 ฿28.86

162.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

$53.3 ฿1,780

-58.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.21 ฿40.29

148.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.57 ฿18.99

85.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

$2.35 ฿78.6

64.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.44 ฿47.96

0.69%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

27.00%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

0.53%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

$62.3 ฿2,083

54.63%

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

$11.04 ฿369

$12.11 ฿405

-8.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$19.94 ฿666

-14.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$37.07 ฿1,239

40.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$3.78 ฿126

195.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$6.50 ฿217

20.15%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$793 ฿26.5K

-29.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-21.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$53.7 ฿1,796

19.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$24.62 ฿823

16.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$90.9 ฿3,036

4.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$71.1 ฿2,378

23.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$455 ฿15.2K

61.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$298 ฿9,954

55.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$908 ฿30.4K

130.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$554 ฿18.5K

116.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

80.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

74.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$591 ฿19.7K

-15.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: 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

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 35.6% $165

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 12.3% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 24.2% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 13% $16

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 35.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 26.2% $18

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 54.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket 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 18% higher in Chiang Mai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:20 9:20 PM

Same time as Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

127,240

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Chiang Mai 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
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

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

Phuket costs about 31% 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 $1,813 per month in Phuket 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 $556 per month in Phuket 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 14% more in Phuket, 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 Phuket at $1,208. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,208 in Phuket. 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, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.