Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Siem Reap and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Siem Reap: $806 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Siem Reap
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Siem Reap Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Siem Reap

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$806

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $806 per month in Siem Reap vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Siem Reap $806
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,247 per month in Siem Reap vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Siem Reap $1,247
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,689 per month in Siem Reap vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Siem Reap $1,689
Chiang Mai $1,914

Siem Reap is about 14% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Siem Reap and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Siem Reap 40% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.43 ៛9,884

$2.26 ฿75.4

7.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.16 ៛98.1K

$19.18 ฿641

25.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 ៛31.7K

$5.59 ฿187

39.71%

Cappuccino

$1.69 ៛6,857

$1.72 ฿57.6

-1.74%

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

$0.70 ៛2,854

$0.64 ฿21.54

9.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 ៛1,746

$0.33 ฿11.18

30.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ៛4,148

$2.36 ฿78.7

-56.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ៛8,045

$3.90 ฿130

-49.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ៛8,687

$2.05 ฿68.6

4.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 ៛7,159

$1.40 ฿46.70

25.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ៛3,540

$1.28 ฿42.89

-32.03%

Eggs

$1.72 ៛6,979

$2.25 ฿75.3

-23.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.24 ៛61.9K

$16.94 ฿566

-10.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.84 ៛11.5K

$2.74 ฿91.6

3.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.20 ៛41.5K

$9.36 ฿313

8.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 ៛17.6K

$2.40 ฿80.3

80.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 ៛5,008

$1.01 ฿33.92

21.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.68 ៛14.9K

$1.61 ฿53.9

128.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 ៛4,431

$1.52 ฿50.7

-28.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 ៛5,415

$1.28 ฿42.90

3.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 ៛4,534

$1.11 ฿37.22

0.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ៛5,262

$0.72 ฿24.09

80.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ៛3,227

$0.52 ฿17.54

51.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.41 ៛5,709

$4.33 ฿145

-67.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.75 ៛31.5K

$17.73 ฿593

-56.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ៛4,051

$1.63 ฿54.4

-38.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ៛9,162

$2.85 ฿95.3

-20.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 ៛3,949

$0.85 ฿28.31

14.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.14 ៛61.5K

$53.9 ฿1,801

-71.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 ៛8,169

$1.17 ฿39.18

71.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ៛4,103

$0.57 ฿19.00

77.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.99 ៛20.3K

$2.37 ฿79.2

110.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ៛5,310

$1.45 ฿48.32

-9.66%

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

$24.8K ៛100.7M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

21.07%

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

$22.7K ៛92.2M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-14.38%

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

$103 ៛417.4K

$62.3 ฿2,083

64.88%

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

$5.82 ៛23.6K

$12.27 ฿410

-52.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.37 ៛62.4K

$19.97 ฿668

-23.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.20 ៛134.8K

$37.91 ฿1,267

-12.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.27 ៛57.9K

$3.76 ฿126

279.52%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 ៛20.2K

$6.71 ฿224

-25.93%

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

$283 ៛1.2M

$797 ฿26.6K

-64.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,488 ៛18.2M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-69.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.69 ៛108.4K

$53.3 ฿1,780

-49.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.31 ៛54.0K

$25.05 ฿837

-46.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.5 ៛278.3K

$91.6 ฿3,062

-25.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.31 ៛184.1K

$73.5 ฿2,455

-38.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$329 ៛1.3M

$464 ฿15.5K

-29.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 ៛940.8K

$305 ฿10.2K

-23.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$669 ៛2.7M

$915 ฿30.6K

-26.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$434 ៛1.8M

$552 ฿18.5K

-21.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,454 ៛10.0M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

28.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,099 ៛4.5M

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-23.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$239 ៛969.1K

$595 ฿19.9K

-59.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.2

5.57

65.17%

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

Last update for Siem Reap: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Siem Reap

$235 29.2%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 1.2% $2.9

Accommodation & Living

Siem Reap

$232 28.7%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 31.5% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Siem Reap

$124 15.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 23.7% $29

Eating Out

Siem Reap

$77 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 2.9% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Siem Reap

$69 8.6%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 58.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Siem Reap

$43 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 19% $8.2

Getting Around

Siem Reap

$26 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 135% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $329 in Siem Reap versus $464 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 149% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $24.00 in Siem Reap versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Siem Reap vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Siem Reap wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Siem Reap

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

Same time as Siem Reap

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

171,800

127,240

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇭 Cambodian Riel (៛)

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4,062 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD). 1 EUR = 4,567 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KHR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Siem Reap Chiang Mai 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Siem Reap
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

Siem Reap vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 16% more than Siem Reap, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,209 per month in Siem Reap and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Siem Reap, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $283 per month in Siem Reap and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Siem Reap, where all-in costs run around $806, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Siem Reap 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. Siem Reap costs $806 versus $938 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 Siem Reap. 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.