Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Vila and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $3,148 in Port Vila, rent and utilities included – about $26,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in Port Vila
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Port Vila Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Port Vila

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

$3,148

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,148 per month in Port Vila vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Port Vila $3,148
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $4,290 per month in Port Vila vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Port Vila $4,290
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $5,432 per month in Port Vila vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Port Vila $5,432
Chiang Mai $1,914

Port Vila costs about 235% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Port Vila sits 133% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.57 VUV 1,474

$2.26 ฿75.4

456.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 VUV 6,558

$19.18 ฿641

191.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.47 VUV 1,697

$5.59 ฿187

158.86%

Cappuccino

$3.99 VUV 468

$1.72 ฿57.6

131.98%

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

$2.30 VUV 270

$0.64 ฿21.54

259.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 VUV 276

$0.33 ฿11.18

612.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 VUV 603

$2.36 ฿78.7

117.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.16 VUV 839

$3.90 ฿130

83.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.73 VUV 320

$2.05 ฿68.6

33.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 VUV 231

$1.40 ฿46.70

40.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.63 VUV 426

$1.28 ฿42.89

183.59%

Eggs

$6.30 VUV 739

$2.25 ฿75.3

180.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.57 VUV 2,061

$16.94 ฿566

3.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.60 VUV 1,947

$2.74 ฿91.6

505.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.68 VUV 1,604

$9.36 ฿313

46.15%

Apples (1kg)

$7.13 VUV 837

$2.40 ฿80.3

197.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 VUV 252

$1.01 ฿33.92

112.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.86 VUV 453

$1.61 ฿53.9

139.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$9.44 VUV 1,107

$1.52 ฿50.7

521.05%

Potato (1kg)

$9.13 VUV 1,071

$1.28 ฿42.90

613.28%

Onion (1kg)

$3.47 VUV 407

$1.11 ฿37.22

212.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.58 VUV 303

$0.72 ฿24.09

258.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 VUV 140

$0.52 ฿17.54

130.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.06 VUV 1,063

$4.33 ฿145

109.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.51 VUV 1,467

$17.73 ฿593

-29.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 VUV 287

$1.63 ฿54.4

50.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 VUV 316

$2.85 ฿95.3

-5.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 VUV 151

$0.85 ฿28.31

51.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.6 VUV 8,052

$53.9 ฿1,801

27.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 VUV 302

$1.17 ฿39.18

119.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 VUV 103

$0.57 ฿19.00

54.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.19 VUV 609

$2.37 ฿79.2

118.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 VUV 206

$1.45 ฿48.32

21.38%

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

$22.8K VUV 2.7M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

11.54%

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

$37.9K VUV 4.5M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

43.09%

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

$636 VUV 74.6K

$62.3 ฿2,083

919.83%

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

$22.30 VUV 2,615

$12.27 ฿410

81.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$362 VUV 42.4K

$19.97 ฿668

1710.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.7 VUV 7,936

$37.91 ฿1,267

78.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.93 VUV 1,986

$3.76 ฿126

350.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

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

$631 VUV 74.0K

$797 ฿26.6K

-20.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,973 VUV 818.0K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-52.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.45 VUV 4,862

$53.3 ฿1,780

-22.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.0 VUV 7,856

$25.05 ฿837

167.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.0 VUV 10.1K

$91.6 ฿3,062

-6.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 VUV 12.0K

$73.5 ฿2,455

39.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,549 VUV 181.7K

$464 ฿15.5K

233.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,120 VUV 131.3K

$305 ฿10.2K

267.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,413 VUV 400.3K

$915 ฿30.6K

272.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,886 VUV 221.3K

$552 ฿18.5K

241.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,917 VUV 694.1K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

209.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,162 VUV 253.6K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

50.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$678 VUV 79.5K

$595 ฿19.9K

13.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.18

5.57

10.95%

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

Last update for Port Vila: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Vila

$1.1K 35.6%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 72.8% $815

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Vila

$1K 32.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 90.7% $925

Groceries & Markets

Port Vila

$476 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 50% $238

Eating Out

Port Vila

$250 8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 68.4% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Port Vila

$134 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 18% $24

Getting Around

Port Vila

$81 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 24.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Port Vila

$68 * 2.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 24.1% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,549 in Port Vila versus $464 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 14% higher in Port Vila, 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 $56.0 in Port Vila versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $476 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇺 Port Vila

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:26 5:26 PM

13:26 1:26 PM

4 h behind Port Vila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,039 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Vanuatu Vatu VUV Vt

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD

1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to VUV – Vanuatu Vatu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇺 Vanuatu Vatu (Vt)

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 132 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.58 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to VUV in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Port Vila Chiang Mai 8,590 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Port Vila costs about 235% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,722 per month in Port Vila and $1,408 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 $631 per month in Port Vila and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 100% more in Port Vila, 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 $938, than in Port Vila at $3,148. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Vila it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $3,148 in Port Vila. 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, Port Vila makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.