Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Poipet and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Poipet: $518 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Poipet
Learn more

Poipet Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Poipet

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$518

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $518 per month in Poipet vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Poipet $518
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $813 per month in Poipet vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Poipet $813
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,109 per month in Poipet vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Poipet $1,109
Chiang Mai $1,979

Poipet is about 45% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Poipet and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Poipet 62% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.57 ៛10.5K

$2.24 ฿75.7

14.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.39 ៛83.1K

$19.00 ฿642

7.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.11 ៛24.9K

$5.55 ฿188

10.09%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ៛6,805

$1.67 ฿56.6

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

$0.67 ៛2,749

$0.64 ฿21.56

4.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 ៛1,624

$0.31 ฿10.32

29.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ៛4,183

$2.36 ฿79.6

-56.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ៛8,355

$3.66 ฿124

-43.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 ៛9,027

$1.95 ฿65.8

13.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 ៛6,867

$1.44 ฿48.51

17.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ៛3,540

$1.33 ฿45.07

-34.59%

Eggs

$1.74 ៛7,108

$2.28 ฿77.1

-23.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.47 ៛63.0K

$16.45 ฿556

-5.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.84 ៛11.6K

$2.78 ฿94.0

2.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ៛41.7K

$9.31 ฿314

9.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.28 ៛17.5K

$2.35 ฿79.5

82.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 ៛5,168

$0.97 ฿32.82

30.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.78 ៛15.4K

$1.60 ฿53.9

136.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 ៛4,262

$1.50 ฿50.7

-30.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ៛5,220

$1.28 ฿43.15

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 ៛4,558

$1.10 ฿37.22

1.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 ៛5,535

$0.71 ฿23.84

91.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ៛3,271

$0.49 ฿16.38

63.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.39 ៛5,667

$4.14 ฿140

-66.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 ៛31.7K

$17.52 ฿592

-55.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ៛4,035

$1.61 ฿54.5

-38.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 ៛9,379

$2.78 ฿94.0

-17.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 ៛8,199

$1.16 ฿39.08

73.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ៛3,960

$0.53 ฿17.82

83.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 ៛20.0K

$2.42 ฿81.8

103.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ៛5,119

$1.45 ฿48.93

-13.10%

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

$25.0K ៛101.8M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

18.70%

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

$22.5K ៛91.9M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-16.31%

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

$102 ៛416.1K

$62.2 ฿2,100

64.28%

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

$5.73 ៛23.4K

$12.17 ฿411

-52.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.50 ៛63.2K

$20.12 ฿680

-22.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 ៛20.1K

$6.49 ฿219

-23.88%

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

$289 ៛1.2M

$736 ฿24.9K

-60.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,367 ៛17.8M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-70.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.81 ៛105.1K

$53.4 ฿1,802

-51.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.13 ៛53.5K

$24.64 ฿832

-46.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.6 ៛279.3K

$91.5 ฿3,089

-25.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.58 ៛181.6K

$71.9 ฿2,429

-38.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.2

5.57

65.17%

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

Last update for Poipet: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Poipet

$236 45.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 0.9% $2.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Poipet

$123 23.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 23.4% $29

Eating Out

Poipet

$73 14%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 7% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Poipet

$68 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 58.7% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Poipet

$9.9 * 1.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 409% $40

Getting Around

Poipet

$6.9 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 793% $54

Accommodation & Living

Poipet

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Poipet versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Poipet

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:29 2:29 PM

Same time as Poipet

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,934

127,240

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.21 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇭 Cambodian Riel (៛)

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4,074 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,534 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.21 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KHR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Poipet Chiang Mai 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Poipet
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 81% more than Poipet, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $776 per month in Poipet and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $518 in Poipet and $936 in Chiang Mai. That’s a gap of about 81%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Poipet and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $518 in Poipet to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.