Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Hedland and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,517 in Port Hedland, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Port Hedland
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Port Hedland Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Port Hedland

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,517

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,517 per month in Port Hedland vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Port Hedland $2,517
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $3,643 per month in Port Hedland vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Port Hedland $3,643
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $4,770 per month in Port Hedland vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Port Hedland $4,770
Chiang Mai $1,999

Port Hedland costs about 169% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Port Hedland sits 86% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.47 A$25.00

$2.13 ฿72.0

720.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 A$121

$18.62 ฿628

352.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.68 A$15.29

$5.60 ฿189

90.71%

Cappuccino

$4.05 A$5.79

$1.66 ฿56.1

143.98%

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

$2.93 A$4.20

$0.65 ฿21.83

350.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 A$3.28

$0.30 ฿10.29

663.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.83 A$11.21

$2.32 ฿78.4

237.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.70 A$11.02

$3.67 ฿124

109.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 A$2.26

$2.02 ฿68.0

-21.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 A$3.96

$1.41 ฿47.51

95.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 A$3.19

$1.39 ฿46.96

60.43%

Eggs

$4.84 A$6.92

$2.37 ฿79.9

104.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 A$12.97

$16.52 ฿557

-45.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.27 A$13.27

$2.67 ฿90.1

247.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.47 A$20.71

$9.02 ฿304

60.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.73 A$5.33

$2.40 ฿80.9

55.42%

Banana (1kg)

$3.06 A$4.38

$1.04 ฿35.13

194.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.33 A$4.76

$1.66 ฿56.0

100.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 A$6.77

$1.56 ฿52.6

203.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 A$3.82

$1.24 ฿41.76

115.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 A$3.45

$1.09 ฿36.66

121.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.39 A$3.43

$0.76 ฿25.70

214.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 A$2.28

$0.51 ฿17.35

211.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.72 A$61.2

$4.12 ฿139

936.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.04 A$20.10

$17.93 ฿605

-21.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.82 A$6.90

$1.62 ฿54.8

197.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 A$7.39

$2.82 ฿95.2

83.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.81 A$4.03

$0.93 ฿31.53

202.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.0 A$120

$52.9 ฿1,785

58.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.47 A$4.97

$1.18 ฿39.70

194.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.29

$0.17 ฿5.79

841.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.98 A$58.7

$1.81 ฿61.1

2164.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 A$1.86

$1.47 ฿49.69

-11.56%

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

$29.9K A$42.8K

$21.0K ฿708.9K

42.38%

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

$26.6K A$38.0K

$26.5K ฿894.6K

0.24%

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

$206 A$294

$62.6 ฿2,111

228.60%

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

$27.81 A$39.82

$11.60 ฿392

139.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.3 A$82.0

$20.30 ฿685

182.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 A$80.7

$37.88 ฿1,278

48.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.67 A$25.29

$3.70 ฿125

377.57%

Cinema Ticket

$14.12 A$20.22

$6.51 ฿220

116.90%

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

$2,113 A$3,025

$727 ฿24.5K

190.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.7K A$29.7K

$16.6K ฿559.2K

25.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.7 A$108

$53.5 ฿1,807

41.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.5 A$78.1

$24.80 ฿837

119.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 A$155

$90.4 ฿3,050

19.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$175

$72.0 ฿2,428

69.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,387 A$1,985

$481 ฿16.2K

188.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,210 A$1,733

$310 ฿10.5K

290.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,223 A$3,182

$1,058 ฿35.7K

110.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,843 A$2,638

$659 ฿22.2K

179.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,770 A$8,259

$2,418 ฿81.6K

138.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,965 A$7,108

$1,609 ฿54.3K

208.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,106 A$7,309

$595 ฿20.1K

758.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.57

5.92%

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

Last update for Port Hedland: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Hedland

$1.2K 48.1%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 74.4% $901

Groceries & Markets

Port Hedland

$367 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 35.4% $130

Eating Out

Port Hedland

$296 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 74.1% $219

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Hedland

$291 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 67.5% $196

Clothing & Footwear

Port Hedland

$162 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 33.2% $54

Getting Around

Port Hedland

$107 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 45% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Port Hedland

$85 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 39.8% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,387 in Port Hedland versus $481 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 in Port Hedland are about 8.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Port Hedland versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $367 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Port Hedland

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

04:14 4:14 AM

1 h behind Port Hedland

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,298

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.625 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.625 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Port Hedland Chiang Mai 4,840 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Hedland
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

Port Hedland vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Port Hedland costs about 169% 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 $3,776 per month in Port Hedland and $1,403 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $1,387 in Port Hedland.

Kindergarten costs $2,113 per month in Port Hedland and $727 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 Port Hedland, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,517 in Port Hedland and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Port Hedland makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.