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 $933 per month in Sihanoukville vs $932 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

A couple spends around $1,395 per month in Sihanoukville vs $1,399 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

A family of three spends $1,856 per month in Sihanoukville vs $1,866 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

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 32% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.12 ៛16.7K

$2.08 ฿69.5

98.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.27 ៛122.5K

$19.61 ฿655

54.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 ៛27.7K

$5.67 ฿189

20.46%

Cappuccino

$2.27 ៛9,194

$1.81 ฿60.3

25.41%

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

$0.75 ៛3,025

$0.77 ฿25.65

-2.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 ៛1,846

$0.35 ฿11.53

31.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ៛4,152

$2.21 ฿73.9

-53.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 ៛8,203

$3.79 ฿127

-46.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ៛8,491

$2.05 ฿68.4

2.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ៛6,426

$1.51 ฿50.6

5.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 ៛3,495

$1.40 ฿46.69

-38.57%

Eggs

$1.74 ៛7,034

$2.26 ฿75.4

-23.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 ៛55.2K

$16.19 ฿540

-15.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.20 ៛17.0K

$2.90 ฿96.7

44.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.09 ៛36.8K

$9.42 ฿314

-3.50%

Apples (1kg)

$3.55 ៛14.4K

$2.68 ฿89.4

32.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ៛5,612

$1.09 ฿36.37

27.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.27 ៛17.3K

$1.62 ฿54.0

163.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ៛6,251

$1.46 ฿48.74

5.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 ៛5,467

$1.28 ฿42.65

5.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ៛4,807

$1.06 ฿35.31

12.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ៛4,638

$0.72 ฿23.94

59.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ៛3,107

$0.53 ฿17.56

45.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.47 ៛5,943

$4.23 ฿141

-65.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.09 ៛44.9K

$18.29 ฿611

-39.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ៛3,708

$1.63 ฿54.4

-43.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ៛6,941

$2.90 ฿96.8

-41.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ฿29.32

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.8 ฿1,795

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 ៛4,438

$1.17 ฿39.14

-5.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ៛4,094

$0.58 ฿19.30

74.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.14 ៛20.8K

$2.39 ฿79.6

115.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ៛5,214

$1.45 ฿48.41

-11.03%

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

$34.9K ៛141.2M

$21.0K ฿701.4K

66.03%

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

$44.9K ៛181.9M

$26.4K ฿882.0K

70.10%

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

$108 ៛437.4K

$63.7 ฿2,125

69.74%

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

$6.20 ៛25.1K

$12.89 ฿430

-51.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.78 ៛76.0K

$20.52 ฿685

-8.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.9 ៛294.9K

$39.02 ฿1,302

86.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.10 ៛40.9K

$3.92 ฿131

157.65%

Cinema Ticket

$5.06 ៛20.5K

$6.58 ฿220

-23.10%

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

$330 ៛1.3M

$784 ฿26.2K

-57.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,020 ៛20.3M

$14.7K ฿489.8K

-65.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.26 ៛114.4K

$55.1 ฿1,840

-48.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.75 ៛80.0K

$24.74 ฿826

-20.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 ៛369.3K

$94.1 ฿3,142

-3.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$20.27 ៛82.1K

$74.0 ฿2,469

-72.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 ៛1.6M

$490 ฿16.4K

-19.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ៛1.2M

$288 ฿9,620

5.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 ៛2.6M

$891 ฿29.8K

-28.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$500 ៛2.0M

$521 ฿17.4K

-3.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,974 ฿65.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,444 ฿48.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$602 ฿20.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.07

5.57

44.88%

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

Last update for Sihanoukville: September 14, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: September 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $394 in Sihanoukville versus $490 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 $30.00 in Sihanoukville versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Sihanoukville vs $241 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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,400 per month in Sihanoukville and $1,398 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.

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Sihanoukville – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Sihanoukville and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $932, than in Sihanoukville at $933. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sihanoukville it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $932 versus $933 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.