Cost of Living Comparison Between Sihanoukville and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Sihanoukville and Chiang Mai

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $905 per month in Sihanoukville vs $852 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

A couple spends around $1,386 per month in Sihanoukville vs $1,354 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

A family of three spends $1,866 per month in Sihanoukville vs $1,857 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sihanoukville costs about 6% more than Chiang Mai, driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear.

Both Sihanoukville and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sihanoukville 32% lower, Chiang Mai 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.09 ៛16.5K

$1.96 ฿63.6

108.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.48 ៛110.8K

$18.81 ฿611

46.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.81 ៛27.4K

$7.92 ฿258

-14.02%

Cappuccino

$2.60 ៛10.5K

$1.91 ฿62.2

36.13%

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

$0.81 ៛3,256

$0.84 ฿27.25

-3.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 ៛1,749

$0.35 ฿11.44

22.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 ៛3,946

$2.21 ฿71.7

-55.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ៛8,179

$3.80 ฿124

-46.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ៛8,642

$1.64 ฿53.2

30.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 ៛6,182

$1.62 ฿52.8

-5.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ៛3,690

$1.18 ฿38.40

-22.03%

Eggs

$1.82 ៛7,348

$2.01 ฿65.4

-9.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 ៛52.2K

$15.89 ฿517

-18.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.16 ៛16.8K

$3.01 ฿98.0

38.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.96 ៛36.1K

$10.77 ฿350

-16.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 ៛14.0K

$2.61 ฿85.0

32.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 ៛5,749

$1.22 ฿39.65

17.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.79 ៛15.3K

$1.70 ฿55.4

122.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 ៛6,087

$1.58 ฿51.2

-4.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ៛5,218

$1.32 ฿42.89

-2.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ៛4,618

$1.17 ฿38.01

-1.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.40 ៛5,624

$0.67 ฿21.85

108.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ៛2,737

$0.56 ฿18.21

21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.53 ៛6,184

$4.53 ฿147

-66.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.89 ៛43.9K

$18.20 ฿592

-40.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ៛3,666

$1.83 ฿59.6

-50.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ៛6,635

$3.23 ฿105

-48.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ฿28.83

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.38 ฿630

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.06 ៛4,285

$1.35 ฿43.95

-21.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ៛3,981

$1.35 ฿43.79

-26.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.63 ៛18.7K

$8.25 ฿268

-43.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ៛4,717

$1.27 ฿41.40

-7.87%

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

$48.6K ៛195.9M

$21.2K ฿687.8K

129.80%

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

$36.7K ៛147.7M

$22.5K ฿731.0K

63.02%

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

$108 ៛433.9K

$70.2 ฿2,281

53.49%

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

$6.17 ៛24.9K

$13.77 ฿448

-55.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.43 ៛74.3K

$17.60 ฿572

4.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.2 ៛294.9K

$41.57 ฿1,352

76.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.95 ៛40.1K

$6.60 ฿215

50.76%

Cinema Ticket

$4.38 ៛17.7K

$5.78 ฿188

-24.22%

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

$335 ៛1.4M

$306 ฿9,953

9.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,066 ៛20.4M

$14.8K ฿482.0K

-65.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.92 ៛88.3K

$54.4 ฿1,768

-59.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.15 ៛81.2K

$26.14 ฿850

-22.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.5 ៛356.5K

$84.5 ฿2,748

4.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$19.80 ៛79.8K

$69.4 ฿2,257

-71.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 ៛1.6M

$424 ฿13.8K

-5.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 ៛1.2M

$238 ฿7,743

26.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$643 ៛2.6M

$825 ฿26.8K

-22.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ៛2.0M

$515 ฿16.7K

-2.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,049 ฿66.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,523 ฿49.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$635 ฿20.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.3

106.00%

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

Last update for Sihanoukville: April 28, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $402 in Sihanoukville versus $424 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 $27.00 in Sihanoukville versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $232 in Sihanoukville vs $243 in Chiang Mai – so Sihanoukville wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

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

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

Sihanoukville costs about 6% more than Chiang Mai, with the gap driven mainly by Clothing & Footwear. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,358 per month in Sihanoukville and $1,278 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 $27.00 in Sihanoukville and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Sihanoukville – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $905 in Sihanoukville and $852 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $852 versus $905 in Sihanoukville. 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, Sihanoukville makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.