Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ranong and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $976 in Ranong, rent and utilities included – about $610 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Ranong
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Ranong Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ranong

🇹🇭 Thailand

$976

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $976 per month in Ranong vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ranong $976
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,650 per month in Ranong vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ranong $1,650
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,324 per month in Ranong vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ranong $2,324
Chiang Mai $1,903

Ranong costs about 5% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ranong and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Ranong 28% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.36 ฿146

$2.29 ฿76.5

90.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.07 ฿1,072

$19.64 ฿656

63.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.46 ฿283

$5.61 ฿188

50.80%

Cappuccino

$2.74 ฿91.5

$1.66 ฿55.6

65.06%

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

$0.96 ฿31.98

$0.70 ฿23.40

37.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.59

$0.31 ฿10.24

61.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.3

$2.41 ฿80.4

5.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 ฿126

$3.71 ฿124

1.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$1.95 ฿65.3

-14.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿48.98

$1.41 ฿47.03

4.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.6

$1.31 ฿43.62

16.03%

Eggs

$2.20 ฿73.4

$2.18 ฿72.9

0.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.67 ฿657

$16.65 ฿556

18.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$2.76 ฿92.2

19.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.09 ฿371

$9.11 ฿304

21.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.3

$2.39 ฿80.0

23.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 ฿54.9

$1.03 ฿34.26

59.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 ฿75.7

$1.63 ฿54.4

38.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.07 ฿69.2

$1.50 ฿50.0

38.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$1.29 ฿43.13

16.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.78

$1.11 ฿37.03

18.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ฿35.35

$0.72 ฿24.08

47.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.01

$0.53 ฿17.59

-3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.46 ฿149

$4.31 ฿144

3.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.42 ฿616

$17.95 ฿600

2.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$1.58 ฿52.9

14.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿92.1

$2.84 ฿95.0

-3.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.79 ฿26.38

$0.86 ฿28.86

-8.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.34

$1.21 ฿40.29

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 ฿35.76

$0.57 ฿18.99

87.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 ฿127

$2.35 ฿78.6

62.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 ฿49.36

$1.44 ฿47.96

2.78%

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

$26.4K ฿883.5K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

27.52%

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

$26.4K ฿881.7K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-1.56%

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

$99.5 ฿3,324

$62.3 ฿2,083

59.57%

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

$11.07 ฿370

$12.11 ฿405

-8.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.26 ฿577

$19.94 ฿666

-13.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.35 ฿1,449

$37.07 ฿1,239

16.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.40 ฿414

$3.78 ฿126

228.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ฿256

$6.50 ฿217

17.69%

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

$548 ฿18.3K

$793 ฿26.5K

-30.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K ฿382.5K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-22.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.3 ฿2,147

$53.7 ฿1,796

19.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.31 ฿946

$24.62 ฿823

14.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 ฿3,203

$90.9 ฿3,036

5.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 ฿2,993

$71.1 ฿2,378

25.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$467 ฿15.6K

$455 ฿15.2K

2.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$268 ฿8,954

$298 ฿9,954

-10.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 ฿36.1K

$908 ฿30.4K

19.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$762 ฿25.5K

$554 ฿18.5K

37.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,902 ฿63.6K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-1.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,616 ฿54.0K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

11.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

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 Ranong: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ranong

$268 27.4%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 11.2% $30

Groceries & Markets

Ranong

$268 27.4%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 12.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ranong

$128 13.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 26.1% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Ranong

$125 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 13.5% $17

Eating Out

Ranong

$119 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 34% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Ranong

$59 6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 14.6% $8.6

Getting Around

Ranong

$9.7 * 1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 526% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $467 in Ranong 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Ranong versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Ranong

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:28 8:28 PM

Same time as Ranong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,163

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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Between locations

Ranong Chiang Mai 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ranong
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

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

Ranong costs about 5% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $1,464 per month in Ranong 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Ranong and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Ranong, 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 Ranong at $976. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ranong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $976 in Ranong. 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, Ranong makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.