Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sunshine Coast and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,343 in Sunshine Coast, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Sunshine Coast
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Sunshine Coast Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sunshine Coast

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,343

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,343 per month in Sunshine Coast vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sunshine Coast $2,343
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,553 per month in Sunshine Coast vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sunshine Coast $3,553
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,762 per month in Sunshine Coast vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sunshine Coast $4,762
Chiang Mai $1,979

Sunshine Coast costs about 150% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sunshine Coast sits 72% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.72 A$25.18

$2.24 ฿75.7

691.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.9 A$105

$19.00 ฿642

288.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.54 A$14.98

$5.55 ฿188

89.91%

Cappuccino

$3.96 A$5.63

$1.67 ฿56.6

137.13%

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

$2.88 A$4.09

$0.64 ฿21.56

350.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 A$3.89

$0.31 ฿10.32

783.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 A$10.63

$2.36 ฿79.6

216.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.21 A$13.08

$3.66 ฿124

151.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.89

$1.95 ฿65.8

-31.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 A$2.79

$1.44 ฿48.51

36.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 A$2.91

$1.33 ฿45.07

54.14%

Eggs

$4.74 A$6.73

$2.28 ฿77.1

107.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 A$15.87

$16.45 ฿556

-32.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.99 A$11.35

$2.78 ฿94.0

187.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.27 A$30.22

$9.31 ฿314

128.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.47

$2.35 ฿79.5

34.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.50

$0.97 ฿32.82

153.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.47

$1.60 ฿53.9

96.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 A$5.75

$1.50 ฿50.7

170.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.17 A$3.08

$1.28 ฿43.15

69.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 A$2.39

$1.10 ฿37.22

52.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.22 A$3.15

$0.71 ฿23.84

212.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.31 A$3.28

$0.49 ฿16.38

371.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$47.13 A$67.0

$4.14 ฿140

1038.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.54 A$22.08

$17.52 ฿592

-11.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.51 A$7.83

$1.61 ฿54.5

242.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.92 A$8.41

$2.78 ฿94.0

112.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 A$0.52

$0.87 ฿29.33

-57.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.32 A$34.56

$54.1 ฿1,827

-55.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 A$3.02

$1.16 ฿39.08

82.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 A$2.27

$0.53 ฿17.82

201.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.31 A$51.6

$2.42 ฿81.8

1400.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.89

$1.45 ฿48.93

-8.28%

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

$31.3K A$44.5K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

48.60%

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

$31.1K A$44.2K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

15.41%

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

$139 A$198

$62.2 ฿2,100

123.97%

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

$43.15 A$61.3

$12.17 ฿411

254.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.7 A$94.8

$20.12 ฿680

231.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 A$73.5

$37.31 ฿1,260

38.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.50 A$23.45

$3.77 ฿127

337.67%

Cinema Ticket

$15.63 A$22.20

$6.49 ฿219

140.83%

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

$2,168 A$3,080

$736 ฿24.9K

194.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.0 A$92.4

$53.4 ฿1,802

21.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$112 A$160

$24.64 ฿832

355.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.4 A$137

$91.5 ฿3,089

5.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.8 A$142

$71.9 ฿2,429

38.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,351 A$1,920

$482 ฿16.3K

180.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 A$1,606

$309 ฿10.4K

265.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,410 A$3,424

$1,006 ฿34.0K

139.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,026 A$2,879

$633 ฿21.4K

219.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,540 A$7,872

$2,363 ฿79.8K

134.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,183 A$7,365

$1,589 ฿53.7K

226.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,508 A$4,985

$590 ฿19.9K

494.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.75

5.57

3.23%

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

Last update for Sunshine Coast: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sunshine Coast

$1.1K 48.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 72.7% $822

Groceries & Markets

Sunshine Coast

$378 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 37.9% $143

Eating Out

Sunshine Coast

$299 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 74.1% $222

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sunshine Coast

$249 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 62.1% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Sunshine Coast

$168 7.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 35.4% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Sunshine Coast

$83 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 39.4% $33

Getting Around

Sunshine Coast

$36 1.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 71% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,351 in Sunshine Coast 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 Sunshine Coast are about 5.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74 in Sunshine Coast versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $378 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sunshine Coast

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

20:05 8:05 PM

3 h behind Sunshine Coast

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

284,131

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sunshine Coast Chiang Mai 7,720 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sunshine Coast
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

Sunshine Coast vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sunshine Coast costs about 150% 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 $3,515 per month in Sunshine Coast 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 $1,351 in Sunshine Coast.

Kindergarten costs $2,168 per month in Sunshine Coast 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 61% more in Sunshine Coast, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,343 in Sunshine Coast and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Sunshine Coast makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.