Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stevenage and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,570 in Stevenage, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Stevenage
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,570
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$938
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,570 per month in Stevenage vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Stevenage $2,570
  • Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,826 per month in Stevenage vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Stevenage $3,826
  • Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $5,081 per month in Stevenage vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Stevenage $5,081
  • Chiang Mai $1,914

Stevenage costs about 174% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Stevenage sits 90% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Stevenage
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.49 £19.88
$2.26 ฿75.4
1072.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.2 £60.2
$19.18 ฿641
318.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.65 £7.99
$5.59 ฿187
90.52%
Cappuccino
$5.06 £3.80
$1.72 ฿57.6
194.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 £1.42
$0.64 ฿21.54
195.31%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 £1.22
$0.33 ฿11.18
393.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.77 £4.33
$2.36 ฿78.7
144.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.33 £4.00
$3.90 ฿130
36.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Stevenage
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 £1.27
$2.05 ฿68.6
-17.56%
White Bread (500g)
$1.50 £1.12
$1.40 ฿46.70
7.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.92 £1.44
$1.28 ฿42.89
50.00%
Eggs
$3.97 £2.98
$2.25 ฿75.3
76.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.48 £6.36
$16.94 ฿566
-49.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.10 £6.07
$2.74 ฿91.6
195.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.84 £10.39
$9.36 ฿313
47.86%
Apples (1kg)
$3.38 £2.54
$2.40 ฿80.3
40.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.48 £1.11
$1.01 ฿33.92
46.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.13 £2.35
$1.61 ฿53.9
94.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.77 £2.07
$1.52 ฿50.7
82.24%
Potato (1kg)
$1.16 £0.87
$1.28 ฿42.90
-9.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.73 £1.29
$1.11 ฿37.22
55.86%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 £0.94
$0.72 ฿24.09
73.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 £0.71
$0.52 ฿17.54
80.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.82 £17.87
$4.33 ฿145
450.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 £7.36
$17.73 ฿593
-44.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.81 £2.11
$1.63 ฿54.4
72.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 £2.18
$2.85 ฿95.3
2.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Stevenage
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.50 £2.62
$0.85 ฿28.31
311.76%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$103 £77.5
$53.9 ฿1,801
91.73%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.77 £2.83
$1.17 ฿39.18
222.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.84 £1.38
$0.57 ฿19.00
222.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.20 £15.15
$2.37 ฿79.2
752.32%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.91 £1.43
$1.45 ฿48.32
31.72%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.5K £28.2K
$20.5K ฿684.3K
83.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.9K £30.0K
$26.5K ฿886.1K
50.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Stevenage
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$230 £173
$62.3 ฿2,083
269.76%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.97 £16.48
$12.27 ฿410
79.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.62 £32.72
$19.97 ฿668
118.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Stevenage
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.85 £35.90
$37.91 ฿1,267
26.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.76 ฿126
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.34 £10.01
$6.71 ฿224
98.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Stevenage
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,042 £782
$797 ฿26.6K
30.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$14.8K ฿495.7K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Stevenage
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$78.0 £58.5
$53.3 ฿1,780
46.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.94 £28.46
$25.05 ฿837
51.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.9 £48.68
$91.6 ฿3,062
-29.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.1 £65.4
$73.5 ฿2,455
18.61%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Stevenage
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,631 £1,224
$464 ฿15.5K
251.52%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,313 £985
$305 ฿10.2K
330.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,020 £2,266
$915 ฿30.6K
229.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,294 £1,721
$552 ฿18.5K
315.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$1,912 ฿63.9K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,438 ฿48.1K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Stevenage
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,291 £2,469
$595 ฿19.9K
452.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.51
5.57
-1.08%

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

Last update for Stevenage: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Stevenage
$1.3K
Chiang Mai
$305 76.8% $1K
Eating Out
Stevenage
$358
Chiang Mai
$79 77.9% $279
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Stevenage
$296
Chiang Mai
$95 68.1% $201
Groceries & Markets
Stevenage
$278
Chiang Mai
$238 14.3% $40
Getting Around
Stevenage
$130
Chiang Mai
$61 53% $69
Clothing & Footwear
Stevenage
$121
Chiang Mai
$110 9.2% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Stevenage
$75
Chiang Mai
$51 31.1% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,631 in Stevenage 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 453% higher in Stevenage, 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 $80.0 in Stevenage versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $278 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Stevenage
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
08:39 8:39 AM
14:39 2:39 PM
6 h ahead of Stevenage
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
89,663
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Stevenage Chiang Mai 8,980 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Stevenage
  • 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
Stevenage vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Stevenage or Chiang Mai?
Stevenage costs about 174% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Stevenage and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,855 per month in Stevenage and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Stevenage or Chiang Mai?
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.
How do childcare costs compare in Stevenage and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $1,042 per month in Stevenage and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Stevenage or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 17% more in Stevenage, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Stevenage or in Chiang Mai?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Stevenage at $2,570. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stevenage it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Stevenage or Chiang Mai?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,570 in Stevenage. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Stevenage compared to Chiang Mai?
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.
Should I move to Stevenage or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Stevenage makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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