Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Southampton and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,655 in Southampton, rent and utilities included – about $20,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Southampton
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Southampton Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Southampton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,655

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,655 per month in Southampton vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Southampton $2,655
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,818 per month in Southampton vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Southampton $3,818
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,981 per month in Southampton vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Southampton $4,981
Chiang Mai $1,979

Southampton costs about 184% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Southampton sits 95% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.76 £19.95

$2.24 ฿75.6

1094.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 £66.8

$19.00 ฿641

371.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.12 £8.29

$5.55 ฿187

100.36%

Cappuccino

$5.43 £4.05

$1.67 ฿56.5

225.15%

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

$2.98 £2.22

$0.64 ฿21.53

365.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 £1.67

$0.31 ฿10.30

622.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.46 £5.56

$2.36 ฿79.5

216.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.75 £5.03

$3.66 ฿124

84.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.95 ฿65.7

2.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.44 ฿48.45

19.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 £2.27

$1.33 ฿45.01

128.57%

Eggs

$4.42 £3.29

$2.28 ฿77.0

93.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.84 £7.34

$16.45 ฿555

-40.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.68 £7.21

$2.78 ฿93.8

248.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.44 £10.76

$9.31 ฿314

55.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 £2.13

$2.35 ฿79.4

21.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 £1.31

$0.97 ฿32.78

80.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.84 £2.12

$1.60 ฿53.9

77.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.53

$1.50 ฿50.6

126.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 £1.37

$1.28 ฿43.10

43.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 £1.18

$1.10 ฿37.17

43.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.90

$0.71 ฿23.81

70.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 £1.36

$0.49 ฿16.36

271.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.33 £15.91

$4.14 ฿140

415.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.13 £8.30

$17.52 ฿591

-36.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 £2.20

$1.61 ฿54.5

83.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 £2.54

$2.78 ฿93.9

22.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.32 £2.47

$0.87 ฿29.29

281.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.1 £58.2

$54.1 ฿1,825

44.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.31 £3.22

$1.16 ฿39.03

271.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.95 £1.46

$0.53 ฿17.79

267.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.03 £23.88

$2.42 ฿81.7

1223.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 £1.61

$1.45 ฿48.87

48.97%

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

$38.2K £28.5K

$21.1K ฿710.3K

81.40%

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

$40.9K £30.5K

$26.9K ฿908.7K

51.81%

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

$327 £244

$62.2 ฿2,097

425.93%

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

$29.33 £21.87

$12.17 ฿410

141.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.3 £39.71

$20.12 ฿679

164.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.74 £28.14

$37.31 ฿1,259

1.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.78 £12.51

$3.77 ฿127

345.09%

Cinema Ticket

$15.96 £11.90

$6.49 ฿219

145.92%

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

$1,886 £1,406

$736 ฿24.8K

156.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K £13.7K

$14.8K ฿498.0K

24.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 £78.9

$53.4 ฿1,800

98.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.4 £38.28

$24.64 ฿831

108.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.3

$91.5 ฿3,086

11.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 £97.5

$71.9 ฿2,426

81.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 £1,133

$482 ฿16.3K

215.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 £887

$309 ฿10.4K

285.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,360 £1,760

$1,006 ฿33.9K

134.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,812 £1,351

$633 ฿21.4K

185.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,632 £4,199

$2,363 ฿79.7K

138.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,849 £3,616

$1,589 ฿53.6K

205.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,372 £2,514

$590 ฿19.9K

471.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.96

5.57

-10.95%

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

Last update for Southampton: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Southampton

$1.2K 44.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 74% $881

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Southampton

$410 15.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 76.9% $315

Eating Out

Southampton

$384 14.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 79.8% $307

Groceries & Markets

Southampton

$320 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 26.9% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Southampton

$176 6.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 38.1% $67

Getting Around

Southampton

$105 4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 41.8% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Southampton

$70 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 27.8% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,520 in Southampton 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.

Salaries in Southampton are about 5.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Southampton versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Southampton

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:23 6:23 PM

01:23 1:23 AM

7 h ahead of Southampton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

228,600

127,240

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.746 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.832 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Southampton Chiang Mai 9,100 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Southampton
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

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

Southampton costs about 184% 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 $3,982 per month in Southampton 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,520 in Southampton.

Kindergarten costs $1,886 per month in Southampton and $736 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 Southampton, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,655 in Southampton 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 $2,655 in Southampton. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Southampton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.