Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samut Prakan and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living costs are similar in Samut Prakan and in Chiang Mai: $886 and $925 a month, rent and utilities included.

43

Cost of Living Index in Samut Prakan
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Samut Prakan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Samut Prakan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$886

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $886 per month in Samut Prakan vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Samut Prakan $886
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,378 per month in Samut Prakan vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Samut Prakan $1,378
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,869 per month in Samut Prakan vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Samut Prakan $1,869
Chiang Mai $1,903

Samut Prakan is about 4% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Samut Prakan and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Samut Prakan 35% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.30 ฿110

$2.29 ฿76.5

44.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.12 ฿505

$19.64 ฿656

-23.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 ฿250

$5.61 ฿188

33.33%

Cappuccino

$1.38 ฿46.13

$1.66 ฿55.6

-16.87%

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

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.70 ฿23.40

-25.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ฿8.77

$0.31 ฿10.24

-16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$2.41 ฿80.4

-16.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ฿97.4

$3.71 ฿124

-21.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ฿48.92

$1.95 ฿65.3

-25.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 ฿32.62

$1.41 ฿47.03

-30.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.88 ฿29.34

$1.31 ฿43.62

-32.82%

Eggs

$1.84 ฿61.5

$2.18 ฿72.9

-15.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.31 ฿411

$16.65 ฿556

-26.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.49 ฿83.1

$2.76 ฿92.2

-9.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.20 ฿341

$9.11 ฿304

11.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 ฿61.5

$2.39 ฿80.0

-23.01%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 ฿25.67

$1.03 ฿34.26

-25.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.68

$1.63 ฿54.4

-19.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 ฿40.59

$1.50 ฿50.0

-19.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.29 ฿43.13

17.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 ฿25.78

$1.11 ฿37.03

-30.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 ฿25.99

$0.72 ฿24.08

8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿15.01

$0.53 ฿17.59

-15.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 ฿151

$4.31 ฿144

4.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.10 ฿304

$17.95 ฿600

-49.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ฿34.32

$1.58 ฿52.9

-34.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ฿63.2

$2.84 ฿95.0

-33.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 ฿16.95

$0.86 ฿28.86

-40.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.21 ฿40.29

43.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 ฿53.7

$0.57 ฿18.99

182.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.85 ฿196

$2.35 ฿78.6

148.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ฿35.84

$1.44 ฿47.96

-25.69%

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

$12.1K ฿405.1K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

-41.52%

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

$24.3K ฿811.4K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-9.41%

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

$83.1 ฿2,776

$62.3 ฿2,083

33.27%

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

$9.40 ฿314

$12.11 ฿405

-22.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.35 ฿547

$19.94 ฿666

-18.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.72 ฿1,595

$37.07 ฿1,239

28.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.06 ฿503

$3.78 ฿126

298.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 ฿214

$6.50 ฿217

-1.38%

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

$148 ฿4,933

$793 ฿26.5K

-81.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,950 ฿198.9K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-59.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.09 ฿504

$53.7 ฿1,796

-71.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ฿1,192

$24.62 ฿823

44.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 ฿2,369

$90.9 ฿3,036

-21.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ฿4,004

$71.1 ฿2,378

68.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ฿16.0K

$455 ฿15.2K

4.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 ฿11.0K

$298 ฿9,954

10.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ฿38.3K

$908 ฿30.4K

26.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 ฿23.1K

$554 ฿18.5K

24.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,726 ฿57.7K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-10.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,607 ฿53.7K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

11.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$671 ฿22.4K

$591 ฿19.7K

13.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-46.14%

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

Last update for Samut Prakan: 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

Samut Prakan

$330 37.2%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 9.7% $32

Groceries & Markets

Samut Prakan

$182 20.5%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 29.4% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samut Prakan

$109 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 13.3% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Samut Prakan

$109 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 0.4% $0.5

Eating Out

Samut Prakan

$84 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 7% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Samut Prakan

$61 6.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 17.3% $10

Getting Around

Samut Prakan

$12 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 415% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Samut Prakan 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 14% higher in Samut Prakan, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15.00 in Samut Prakan versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $182 vs $235 – making Samut Prakan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Samut Prakan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

Same time as Samut Prakan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,843

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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Highest

Between locations

Samut Prakan Chiang Mai 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Samut Prakan
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

Samut Prakan vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 4% more than Samut Prakan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,329 per month in Samut Prakan 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 Samut Prakan, 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 $15.00 in Samut Prakan 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 29% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Samut Prakan, where all-in costs run around $886, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Samut Prakan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Samut Prakan costs $886 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. 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 Samut Prakan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.