Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Scarborough and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,130 in Scarborough, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Scarborough
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Scarborough Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Scarborough

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,130

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,130 per month in Scarborough vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Scarborough $2,130
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $3,096 per month in Scarborough vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Scarborough $3,096
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $4,062 per month in Scarborough vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Scarborough $4,062
Chiang Mai $1,903

Scarborough costs about 130% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Scarborough sits 57% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.36 £11.53

$2.29 ฿76.5

570.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 £53.4

$19.64 ฿656

262.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.12 £9.09

$5.61 ฿188

116.04%

Cappuccino

$3.51 £2.63

$1.66 ฿55.6

111.45%

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

$2.05 £1.53

$0.70 ฿23.40

192.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 £0.77

$0.31 ฿10.24

229.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.58 £3.44

$2.41 ฿80.4

90.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 £3.22

$3.71 ฿124

15.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 £0.97

$1.95 ฿65.3

-33.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 £1.03

$1.41 ฿47.03

-2.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 £0.81

$1.31 ฿43.62

-17.56%

Eggs

$3.60 £2.70

$2.18 ฿72.9

65.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.92 £5.94

$16.65 ฿556

-52.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.18 £5.39

$2.76 ฿92.2

160.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.94 £10.46

$9.11 ฿304

53.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 £2.35

$2.39 ฿80.0

30.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.03 ฿34.26

93.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 £1.99

$1.63 ฿54.4

62.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 £1.57

$1.50 ฿50.0

39.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 £1.30

$1.29 ฿43.13

34.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.11 ฿37.03

45.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 £0.87

$0.72 ฿24.08

59.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 £1.43

$0.53 ฿17.59

260.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.58 £16.94

$4.31 ฿144

423.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.59 £7.19

$17.95 ฿600

-46.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 £2.74

$1.58 ฿52.9

131.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 £2.70

$2.84 ฿95.0

26.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.30 £2.48

$0.86 ฿28.86

283.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.0 £64.5

$53.3 ฿1,780

61.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.73 £4.30

$1.21 ฿40.29

373.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.97 £3.73

$0.57 ฿18.99

771.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.58 £25.19

$2.35 ฿78.6

1328.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.98 £1.48

$1.44 ฿47.96

37.50%

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

$36.0K £27.0K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

73.51%

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

$39.9K £29.9K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

48.92%

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

$356 £267

$62.3 ฿2,083

471.25%

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

$25.99 £19.50

$12.11 ฿405

114.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 £24.56

$19.94 ฿666

64.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.1 £49.59

$37.07 ฿1,239

78.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.67 £9.50

$3.78 ฿126

235.19%

Cinema Ticket

$10.66 £7.99

$6.50 ฿217

64.00%

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

$1,804 £1,353

$793 ฿26.5K

127.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K £11.1K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-0.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.3 £49.73

$53.7 ฿1,796

23.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.54 £26.66

$24.62 ฿823

44.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 £81.3

$90.9 ฿3,036

19.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 £85.2

$71.1 ฿2,378

59.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$867 £651

$455 ฿15.2K

90.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$831 £624

$298 ฿9,954

179.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 £1,143

$908 ฿30.4K

67.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,365 £1,024

$554 ฿18.5K

146.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$910 £683

$591 ฿19.7K

54.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.53

5.57

-0.72%

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

Last update for Scarborough: 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

Scarborough

$831 39%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 64.2% $533

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Scarborough

$415 19.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 77.2% $320

Groceries & Markets

Scarborough

$276 13%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 14.7% $41

Eating Out

Scarborough

$245 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 67.9% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Scarborough

$146 6.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 25.7% $38

Getting Around

Scarborough

$130 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 53.2% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Scarborough

$87 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 42.7% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $867 in Scarborough 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 54% higher in Scarborough, 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 $71.0 in Scarborough versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $276 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Scarborough

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:58 5:58 AM

11:58 11:58 AM

6 h ahead of Scarborough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,749

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 21, 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 21, 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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Between locations

Scarborough Chiang Mai 8,910 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Scarborough
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

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

Scarborough costs about 130% 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 $3,195 per month in Scarborough 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 $1,804 per month in Scarborough 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 17% more in Scarborough, 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 Scarborough at $2,130. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Scarborough it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,130 in Scarborough. 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, Scarborough makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.