Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rugby and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,347 in Rugby, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Rugby
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Rugby Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Rugby

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,347

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,347 per month in Rugby vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rugby $2,347
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $3,506 per month in Rugby vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rugby $3,506
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $4,665 per month in Rugby vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rugby $4,665
Chiang Mai $1,903

Rugby costs about 154% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Rugby sits 73% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.62 £14.72

$2.29 ฿76.5

756.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.2 £59.4

$19.64 ฿656

303.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.53 £7.15

$5.61 ฿188

69.88%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.68

$1.66 ฿55.6

195.78%

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

$2.12 £1.59

$0.70 ฿23.40

202.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 £1.13

$0.31 ฿10.24

383.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.05 £4.54

$2.41 ฿80.4

151.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.58 £4.94

$3.71 ฿124

77.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 £1.28

$1.95 ฿65.3

-12.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 £1.32

$1.41 ฿47.03

24.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 £1.91

$1.31 ฿43.62

94.66%

Eggs

$3.77 £2.83

$2.18 ฿72.9

72.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.32 £6.99

$16.65 ฿556

-44.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.79 £5.85

$2.76 ฿92.2

182.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.11 £11.34

$9.11 ฿304

65.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 £1.95

$2.39 ฿80.0

8.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.03 ฿34.26

69.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 £1.81

$1.63 ฿54.4

47.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 £2.37

$1.50 ฿50.0

111.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 £1.25

$1.29 ฿43.13

28.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.11 ฿37.03

57.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$0.72 ฿24.08

72.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 £1.19

$0.53 ฿17.59

198.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.66 £16.25

$4.31 ฿144

402.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.81 £8.86

$17.95 ฿600

-34.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 £2.70

$1.58 ฿52.9

127.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 £2.53

$2.84 ฿95.0

19.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.64 £1.98

$0.86 ฿28.86

206.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 £79.7

$53.3 ฿1,780

99.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.69 £3.52

$1.21 ฿40.29

287.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 £1.21

$0.57 ฿18.99

184.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.42 £18.32

$2.35 ฿78.6

939.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.56

$1.44 ฿47.96

45.14%

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

$39.2K £29.4K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

88.91%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

52.45%

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

$265 £199

$62.3 ฿2,083

325.70%

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

$19.84 £14.88

$12.11 ฿405

63.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.42 £34.83

$19.94 ฿666

132.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 £42.79

$37.07 ฿1,239

53.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$14.91 £11.18

$6.50 ฿217

129.38%

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

$1,600 £1,200

$793 ฿26.5K

101.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K £16.9K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

52.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 £81.4

$53.7 ฿1,796

101.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.56 £23.68

$24.62 ฿823

28.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.0 £62.2

$90.9 ฿3,036

-8.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 £84.8

$71.1 ฿2,378

58.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 £831

$455 ฿15.2K

143.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 £783

$298 ฿9,954

250.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,797 £1,348

$908 ฿30.4K

97.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,844 £1,383

$554 ฿18.5K

232.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,965 £3,725

$1,931 ฿64.5K

157.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,847 £2,886

$1,445 ฿48.3K

166.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,705 £3,529

$591 ฿19.7K

696.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.09

5.57

-8.62%

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

Last update for Rugby: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rugby

$1K 44.5%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 71.5% $746

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rugby

$332 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 71.5% $237

Eating Out

Rugby

$302 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 74% $224

Groceries & Markets

Rugby

$302 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 22% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Rugby

$151 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 28.5% $43

Getting Around

Rugby

$130 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 53.1% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Rugby

$87 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 42.4% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,107 in Rugby 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.

Salaries run about 696% higher in Rugby, 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 $79.0 in Rugby versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $302 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Rugby

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

18:41 6:41 PM

6 h ahead of Rugby

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,628

127,240

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 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 GBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Rugby Chiang Mai 9,030 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Rugby
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

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

Rugby costs about 154% 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 $3,521 per month in Rugby 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.

Kindergarten costs $1,600 per month in Rugby and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Rugby, 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 Rugby at $2,347. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rugby it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,347 in Rugby. 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, Rugby makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.