Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Andrews and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,285 in St. Andrews, rent and utilities included – about $16,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in St. Andrews
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St. Andrews Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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St. Andrews

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,285

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,285 per month in St. Andrews vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

St. Andrews $2,285
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $3,891 per month in St. Andrews vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

St. Andrews $3,891
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $5,496 per month in St. Andrews vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

St. Andrews $5,496
Chiang Mai $1,903

St. Andrews costs about 147% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

St. Andrews sits 69% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.15 £15.87

$2.29 ฿76.5

823.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 £65.9

$19.64 ฿656

347.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.51 £7.89

$5.61 ฿188

87.34%

Cappuccino

$4.61 £3.46

$1.66 ฿55.6

177.71%

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

$2.84 £2.13

$0.70 ฿23.40

305.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 £1.57

$0.31 ฿10.24

577.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.76 £5.07

$2.41 ฿80.4

180.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.76 £5.07

$3.71 ฿124

82.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 £1.13

$1.95 ฿65.3

-22.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.41 ฿47.03

21.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 £1.52

$1.31 ฿43.62

54.96%

Eggs

$4.49 £3.37

$2.18 ฿72.9

105.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.37 £5.53

$16.65 ฿556

-55.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 £7.24

$2.76 ฿92.2

249.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.41 £11.56

$9.11 ฿304

69.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.50 £1.88

$2.39 ฿80.0

4.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.03 ฿34.26

29.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 £2.07

$1.63 ฿54.4

69.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 £2.15

$1.50 ฿50.0

90.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.29 ฿43.13

31.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.11 ฿37.03

36.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 £0.90

$0.72 ฿24.08

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.46 £1.85

$0.53 ฿17.59

364.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.57 £16.93

$4.31 ฿144

423.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.86 £8.15

$17.95 ฿600

-39.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 £2.03

$1.58 ฿52.9

70.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.24

$2.84 ฿95.0

4.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.79 £3.59

$0.86 ฿28.86

456.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 £3.04

$1.21 ฿40.29

234.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.44 £1.83

$0.57 ฿18.99

328.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.73 £17.80

$2.35 ฿78.6

909.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 £1.58

$1.44 ฿47.96

45.83%

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

$38.3K £28.7K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

84.81%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

53.66%

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

$243 £182

$62.3 ฿2,083

289.31%

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

$13.40 £10.06

$12.11 ฿405

10.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.64 £31.24

$19.94 ฿666

108.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.6 £68.7

$37.07 ฿1,239

146.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$13.06 £9.80

$6.50 ฿217

100.92%

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

$1,806 £1,355

$793 ฿26.5K

127.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K £17.1K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

53.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.6 £71.7

$53.7 ฿1,796

77.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.97 £36.74

$24.62 ฿823

98.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 £77.8

$90.9 ฿3,036

14.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 £66.4

$71.1 ฿2,378

24.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 £1,025

$455 ฿15.2K

200.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 £792

$298 ฿9,954

254.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,104 £2,329

$908 ฿30.4K

241.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,743 £2,058

$554 ฿18.5K

395.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,137 £4,604

$1,931 ฿64.5K

217.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,718 £2,039

$1,445 ฿48.3K

88.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,397 £2,548

$591 ฿19.7K

474.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.41

5.57

-2.87%

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

Last update for St. Andrews: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Andrews

$1.1K 46.2%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 71.8% $757

Eating Out

St. Andrews

$323 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 75.7% $244

Groceries & Markets

St. Andrews

$304 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 22.6% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Andrews

$298 13%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 68.3% $203

Clothing & Footwear

St. Andrews

$152 6.6%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 28.6% $43

Sport & Entertainment

St. Andrews

$118 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 57.5% $68

Getting Around

St. Andrews

$35 * 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 71.5% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,366 in St. Andrews versus $455 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 475% higher in St. Andrews, 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 $88.0 in St. Andrews versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $304 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 St. Andrews

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:26 1:26 AM

07:26 7:26 AM

6 h ahead of St. Andrews

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,460

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 22, 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 22, 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

St. Andrews Chiang Mai 8,980 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

St. Andrews
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

St. Andrews vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St. Andrews costs about 147% 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 $3,428 per month in St. Andrews and $1,388 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 $88.0 in St. Andrews and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in St. Andrews, 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 $925, than in St. Andrews at $2,285. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Andrews it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,285 in St. Andrews. 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, St. Andrews makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.