Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portsmouth and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,765 in Portsmouth, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Portsmouth
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Portsmouth Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Portsmouth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,765

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,765 per month in Portsmouth vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Portsmouth $2,765
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,781 per month in Portsmouth vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Portsmouth $3,781
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,798 per month in Portsmouth vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Portsmouth $4,798
Chiang Mai $1,979

Portsmouth costs about 196% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Portsmouth sits 103% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.08 £15.12

$2.24 ฿75.7

796.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 £50.0

$19.00 ฿642

249.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 £7.93

$5.55 ฿188

89.91%

Cappuccino

$4.78 £3.60

$1.67 ฿56.6

186.23%

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

$2.74 £2.07

$0.64 ฿21.56

328.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 £1.74

$0.31 ฿10.32

645.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.28 £4.73

$2.36 ฿79.6

166.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 £4.40

$3.66 ฿124

59.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 £1.05

$1.95 ฿65.8

-28.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 £1.21

$1.44 ฿48.51

11.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 £2.76

$1.33 ฿45.07

175.94%

Eggs

$3.46 £2.60

$2.28 ฿77.1

51.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.49 £10.15

$16.45 ฿556

-17.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.16 £6.14

$2.78 ฿94.0

193.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 £9.92

$9.31 ฿314

41.57%

Apples (1kg)

$3.89 £2.93

$2.35 ฿79.5

65.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 £1.46

$0.97 ฿32.82

98.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 £2.19

$1.60 ฿53.9

82.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 £2.54

$1.50 ฿50.7

125.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.28 ฿43.15

30.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 £1.26

$1.10 ฿37.22

51.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.91

$0.71 ฿23.84

70.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.47 £1.11

$0.49 ฿16.38

200.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.69 £17.07

$4.14 ฿140

448.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.38

$17.52 ฿592

-36.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 £2.35

$1.61 ฿54.5

94.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 £1.62

$2.78 ฿94.0

-22.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.94 £2.96

$0.87 ฿29.33

352.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.3 £65.0

$54.1 ฿1,827

59.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.31 £4.00

$1.16 ฿39.08

357.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 £1.16

$0.53 ฿17.82

190.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.93 £15.00

$2.42 ฿81.8

723.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.57

$1.45 ฿48.93

44.14%

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

$38.5K £29.0K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

82.89%

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

$41.1K £30.9K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

52.48%

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

$661 £497

$62.2 ฿2,100

962.96%

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

$15.19 £11.43

$12.17 ฿411

24.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.05 £32.40

$20.12 ฿680

113.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.53 £25.99

$37.31 ฿1,260

-7.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.24 £12.97

$3.77 ฿127

357.29%

Cinema Ticket

$10.80 £8.13

$6.49 ฿219

66.41%

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

$1,602 £1,205

$736 ฿24.9K

117.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.0K £15.1K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

35.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 £68.6

$53.4 ฿1,802

70.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.80 £29.96

$24.64 ฿832

61.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 £75.6

$91.5 ฿3,089

9.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 £89.9

$71.9 ฿2,429

66.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,493 £1,124

$482 ฿16.3K

209.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,092 £822

$309 ฿10.4K

253.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,146 £1,615

$1,006 ฿34.0K

113.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,669 £1,256

$633 ฿21.4K

163.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,574 £3,442

$2,363 ฿79.8K

93.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,680 £2,770

$1,589 ฿53.7K

131.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,397 £2,556

$590 ฿19.9K

475.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.16

5.57

-7.36%

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

Last update for Portsmouth: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Portsmouth

$1.1K 39.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 71.7% $783

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portsmouth

$719 26%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 86.9% $625

Eating Out

Portsmouth

$313 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 75.2% $235

Groceries & Markets

Portsmouth

$312 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 24.9% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Portsmouth

$158 5.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 31.2% $49

Getting Around

Portsmouth

$115 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 46.7% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Portsmouth

$56 2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 10.4% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,493 in Portsmouth versus $482 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 Portsmouth are about 5.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Portsmouth versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $312 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Portsmouth

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

05:59 5:59 AM

7 h ahead of Portsmouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

198,974

127,240

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Portsmouth Chiang Mai 9,080 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Portsmouth
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

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

Portsmouth costs about 196% 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 $4,147 per month in Portsmouth 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 $482 there versus $1,493 in Portsmouth.

Kindergarten costs $1,602 per month in Portsmouth and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Portsmouth, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,765 in Portsmouth and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $2,765 in Portsmouth. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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