Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sihanoukville and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Sihanoukville and in Chiang Mai: $943 and $936 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Sihanoukville
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Sihanoukville Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sihanoukville

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$943

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $943 per month in Sihanoukville vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sihanoukville $943
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,416 per month in Sihanoukville vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sihanoukville $1,416
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,889 per month in Sihanoukville vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sihanoukville $1,889
Chiang Mai $1,979

Sihanoukville and Chiang Mai have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Sihanoukville and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sihanoukville 31% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.08 ៛16.6K

$2.24 ฿75.6

82.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.53 ៛124.4K

$19.00 ฿641

60.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.98 ៛28.4K

$5.55 ฿187

25.77%

Cappuccino

$2.29 ៛9,321

$1.67 ฿56.5

37.13%

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

$0.76 ៛3,081

$0.64 ฿21.55

18.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ៛1,856

$0.31 ฿10.31

48.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ៛4,132

$2.36 ฿79.6

-57.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ៛7,926

$3.66 ฿124

-46.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 ៛8,912

$1.95 ฿65.8

12.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 ៛6,746

$1.44 ฿48.48

15.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 ៛3,510

$1.33 ฿45.04

-35.34%

Eggs

$1.74 ៛7,070

$2.28 ฿77.1

-23.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.68 ៛55.7K

$16.45 ฿555

-16.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.21 ៛17.1K

$2.78 ฿93.9

51.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.77 ៛35.7K

$9.31 ฿314

-5.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 ៛14.6K

$2.35 ฿79.4

52.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 ៛5,625

$0.97 ฿32.80

42.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.38 ៛17.8K

$1.60 ฿53.9

173.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ៛6,284

$1.50 ฿50.6

2.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 ៛5,362

$1.28 ฿43.12

3.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ៛4,860

$1.10 ฿37.19

8.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 ៛5,611

$0.71 ฿23.82

94.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ៛3,077

$0.49 ฿16.37

55.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.52 ៛6,203

$4.14 ฿140

-63.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.09 ៛45.2K

$17.52 ฿591

-36.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ៛3,658

$1.61 ฿54.5

-44.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ៛6,626

$2.78 ฿94.0

-41.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ៛4,414

$1.16 ฿39.06

-6.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ៛3,988

$0.53 ฿17.80

84.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.14 ៛21.0K

$2.42 ฿81.8

112.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ៛5,064

$1.45 ฿48.90

-14.48%

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

$34.5K ៛140.7M

$21.1K ฿710.7K

63.98%

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

$44.6K ៛181.8M

$26.9K ฿909.3K

65.66%

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

$121 ៛493.4K

$62.2 ฿2,098

94.82%

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

$6.51 ៛26.5K

$12.17 ฿411

-46.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.39 ៛74.9K

$20.12 ฿679

-8.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.0 ៛293.3K

$37.31 ฿1,259

93.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.01 ៛40.8K

$3.77 ฿127

165.52%

Cinema Ticket

$4.88 ៛19.9K

$6.49 ฿219

-24.81%

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

$336 ៛1.4M

$736 ฿24.8K

-54.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,086 ៛20.7M

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-65.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.75 ៛113.0K

$53.4 ฿1,801

-48.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.02 ៛81.6K

$24.64 ฿831

-18.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ៛367.9K

$91.5 ฿3,087

-1.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$19.75 ៛80.5K

$71.9 ฿2,428

-72.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$403 ៛1.6M

$482 ฿16.3K

-16.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$304 ៛1.2M

$309 ฿10.4K

-1.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$654 ៛2.7M

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-34.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ៛2.0M

$633 ฿21.4K

-21.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.94

5.57

42.55%

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

Last update for Sihanoukville: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sihanoukville

$304 32.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 1.7% $5.1

Groceries & Markets

Sihanoukville

$239 25.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 2.1% $5.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sihanoukville

$146 15.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 35.3% $52

Eating Out

Sihanoukville

$95 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 18.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Sihanoukville

$82 8.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 38.5% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Sihanoukville

$71 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 52.9% $38

Getting Around

Sihanoukville

$6 * 0.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 926% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $403 in Sihanoukville versus $482 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 $31 in Sihanoukville versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $239 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Sihanoukville

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:27 10:27 AM

Same time as Sihanoukville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,036

127,240

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4,074 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.45 USD). 1 EUR = 4,548 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to KHR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sihanoukville Chiang Mai 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sihanoukville
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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,414 per month in Sihanoukville and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sihanoukville, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $403 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31 in Sihanoukville and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $336 per month in Sihanoukville and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $943 in Sihanoukville and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $943 in Sihanoukville. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.