Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sittingbourne and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,411 in Sittingbourne, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Sittingbourne
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Sittingbourne Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sittingbourne

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,411

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,411 per month in Sittingbourne vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sittingbourne $2,411
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,558 per month in Sittingbourne vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sittingbourne $3,558
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,705 per month in Sittingbourne vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sittingbourne $4,705
Chiang Mai $1,914

Sittingbourne costs about 157% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sittingbourne sits 79% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.52 £16.14

$2.26 ฿75.4

852.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.6 £67.9

$19.18 ฿641

372.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.68 £8.01

$5.59 ฿187

91.06%

Cappuccino

$4.66 £3.50

$1.72 ฿57.6

170.93%

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

$2.67 £2.00

$0.64 ฿21.54

317.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 £1.37

$0.33 ฿11.18

451.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.71 £5.78

$2.36 ฿78.7

226.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.79 £5.09

$3.90 ฿130

74.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 £1.24

$2.05 ฿68.6

-19.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.40 ฿46.70

22.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.58 £1.94

$1.28 ฿42.89

101.56%

Eggs

$4.38 £3.28

$2.25 ฿75.3

94.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.64 £7.23

$16.94 ฿566

-43.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.40 £7.05

$2.74 ฿91.6

243.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.47 £11.61

$9.36 ฿313

65.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.29

$2.40 ฿80.3

27.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.01 ฿33.92

70.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 £2.64

$1.61 ฿53.9

118.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.54

$1.52 ฿50.7

123.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 £1.35

$1.28 ฿42.90

40.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 £1.35

$1.11 ฿37.22

63.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$0.72 ฿24.09

73.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 £1.52

$0.52 ฿17.54

288.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.75 £17.07

$4.33 ฿145

425.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.08 £8.31

$17.73 ฿593

-37.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.20 £2.40

$1.63 ฿54.4

96.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 £3.09

$2.85 ฿95.3

44.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.49 £2.62

$0.85 ฿28.31

310.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.5 £70.9

$53.9 ฿1,801

75.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.71 £5.78

$1.17 ฿39.18

558.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.72 £2.04

$0.57 ฿19.00

377.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.98 £37.49

$2.37 ฿79.2

2008.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$1.45 ฿48.32

43.45%

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

$38.0K £28.5K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

85.47%

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

$41.1K £30.8K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

55.07%

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

$331 £248

$62.3 ฿2,083

430.69%

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

$18.63 £13.98

$12.27 ฿410

51.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.73 £32.06

$19.97 ฿668

113.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.77 £33.58

$37.91 ฿1,267

18.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$17.00 £12.75

$6.71 ฿224

153.35%

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

$2,577 £1,933

$797 ฿26.6K

223.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K £26.9K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

141.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.3 £67.7

$53.3 ฿1,780

69.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.57 £34.94

$25.05 ฿837

85.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 £68.9

$91.6 ฿3,062

0.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 £96.5

$73.5 ฿2,455

75.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 £932

$464 ฿15.5K

167.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$994 £746

$305 ฿10.2K

226.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,093 £1,571

$915 ฿30.6K

128.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,648 £1,236

$552 ฿18.5K

198.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,067 £3,801

$1,912 ฿63.9K

165.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,842 £2,882

$1,438 ฿48.1K

167.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,468 £1,852

$595 ฿19.9K

314.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

5.57

-9.52%

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

Last update for Sittingbourne: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sittingbourne

$994 41.2%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 69.3% $689

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sittingbourne

$392 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 75.9% $298

Eating Out

Sittingbourne

$330 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 76.1% $251

Groceries & Markets

Sittingbourne

$325 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 26.8% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Sittingbourne

$161 6.7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 31.9% $51

Getting Around

Sittingbourne

$130 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 52.7% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Sittingbourne

$79 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 34.8% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,242 in Sittingbourne 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 315% higher in Sittingbourne, 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 $91.0 in Sittingbourne versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Sittingbourne

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:05 3:05 PM

21:05 9:05 PM

6 h ahead of Sittingbourne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,974

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 19, 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 19, 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

Sittingbourne Chiang Mai 8,940 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Sittingbourne
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

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

Sittingbourne costs about 157% 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 $3,616 per month in Sittingbourne 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $2,577 per month in Sittingbourne 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 37% more in Sittingbourne, 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 $938, than in Sittingbourne at $2,411. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sittingbourne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,411 in Sittingbourne. 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, Sittingbourne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.