Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Surin and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Surin: $869 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $670 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Surin
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Surin Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Surin

🇹🇭 Thailand

$869

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $869 per month in Surin vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Surin $869
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,444 per month in Surin vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Surin $1,444
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,018 per month in Surin vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Surin $2,018
Chiang Mai $1,903

Surin is about 6% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Surin and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Surin 36% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ฿101

$2.29 ฿76.5

32.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.70 ฿826

$19.64 ฿656

25.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.23 ฿242

$5.61 ฿188

28.88%

Cappuccino

$1.74 ฿58.3

$1.66 ฿55.6

4.82%

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

$0.61 ฿20.30

$0.70 ฿23.40

-12.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿10.89

$0.31 ฿10.24

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 ฿73.5

$2.41 ฿80.4

-8.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 ฿114

$3.71 ฿124

-7.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ฿52.4

$1.95 ฿65.3

-19.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 ฿43.79

$1.41 ฿47.03

-7.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 ฿48.98

$1.31 ฿43.62

12.21%

Eggs

$1.90 ฿63.5

$2.18 ฿72.9

-12.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.41 ฿582

$16.65 ฿556

4.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.48 ฿83.0

$2.76 ฿92.2

-10.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.89 ฿297

$9.11 ฿304

-2.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 ฿86.0

$2.39 ฿80.0

7.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 ฿34.23

$1.03 ฿34.26

-0.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.48 ฿82.9

$1.63 ฿54.4

52.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.5

$1.50 ฿50.0

36.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.20

$1.29 ฿43.13

11.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 ฿31.77

$1.11 ฿37.03

-14.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 ฿31.37

$0.72 ฿24.08

30.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 ฿14.59

$0.53 ฿17.59

-16.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ฿143

$4.31 ฿144

-0.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.36 ฿547

$17.95 ฿600

-8.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 ฿52.4

$1.58 ฿52.9

-0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 ฿100

$2.84 ฿95.0

5.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 ฿30.79

$0.86 ฿28.86

6.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.37 ฿45.65

$1.21 ฿40.29

13.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.73

$0.57 ฿18.99

77.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.04 ฿202

$2.35 ฿78.6

157.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ฿45.06

$1.44 ฿47.96

-6.25%

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

$22.7K ฿758.4K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

9.47%

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

$27.1K ฿904.4K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

0.97%

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

$77.8 ฿2,601

$62.3 ฿2,083

24.85%

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

$11.53 ฿385

$12.11 ฿405

-4.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.68 ฿624

$19.94 ฿666

-6.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.58 ฿1,390

$37.07 ฿1,239

12.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.45 ฿383

$3.78 ฿126

202.91%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$6.50 ฿217

0.15%

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

$628 ฿21.0K

$793 ฿26.5K

-20.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ฿405.0K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-18.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 ฿1,773

$53.7 ฿1,796

-1.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.95 ฿934

$24.62 ฿823

13.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.3 ฿2,451

$90.9 ฿3,036

-19.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.0 ฿2,274

$71.1 ฿2,378

-4.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$440 ฿14.7K

$455 ฿15.2K

-3.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$273 ฿9,126

$298 ฿9,954

-8.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ฿39.6K

$908 ฿30.4K

30.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$714 ฿23.9K

$554 ฿18.5K

28.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,730 ฿57.8K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-10.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,518 ฿50.7K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

5.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Surin: 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

Surin

$273 31.4%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 9.1% $25

Groceries & Markets

Surin

$235 27%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 0.4% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surin

$108 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 12.6% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Surin

$100 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 8.1% $8.1

Eating Out

Surin

$88 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 11.1% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Surin

$55 6.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 8.3% $4.5

Getting Around

Surin

$10 * 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 502% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $440 in Surin 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Surin versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Surin vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Surin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Surin

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:12 6:12 AM

Same time as Surin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,104

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Surin Chiang Mai 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Surin
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 6% more than Surin, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,303 per month in Surin 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 Surin, 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 $25.00 in Surin 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 0% more in Chiang Mai, 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 Surin, where all-in costs run around $869, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Surin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Surin costs $869 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. 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 Surin. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.