Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tainan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,068 in Tainan, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Tainan despite lower rent and utilities.

52

Cost of Living Index in Tainan
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Tainan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Tainan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,068

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,068 per month in Tainan vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tainan $1,068
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,837 per month in Tainan vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tainan $1,837
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,606 per month in Tainan vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tainan $2,606
Chiang Mai $1,914

Tainan costs about 14% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Tainan and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Tainan 21% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.74 NT$121

$2.26 ฿75.4

65.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.62 NT$799

$19.18 ฿641

28.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.79 NT$155

$5.59 ฿187

-14.31%

Cappuccino

$3.27 NT$106

$1.72 ฿57.6

90.12%

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

$0.95 NT$30.66

$0.64 ฿21.54

48.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 NT$20.54

$0.33 ฿11.18

90.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.86 NT$92.6

$2.36 ฿78.7

21.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 NT$113

$3.90 ฿130

-10.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 NT$100

$2.05 ฿68.6

50.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 NT$57.5

$1.40 ฿46.70

26.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.15 NT$102

$1.28 ฿42.89

146.09%

Eggs

$2.75 NT$89.3

$2.25 ฿75.3

22.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.50 NT$632

$16.94 ฿566

15.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.88 NT$320

$2.74 ฿91.6

260.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.04 NT$682

$9.36 ฿313

124.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.96 NT$161

$2.40 ฿80.3

106.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 NT$92.7

$1.01 ฿33.92

183.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 NT$97.4

$1.61 ฿53.9

86.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 NT$145

$1.52 ฿50.7

194.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.66 NT$86.4

$1.28 ฿42.90

107.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 NT$73.6

$1.11 ฿37.22

104.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 NT$55.3

$0.72 ฿24.09

137.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 NT$37.31

$0.52 ฿17.54

121.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 NT$124

$4.33 ฿145

-12.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.94 NT$452

$17.73 ฿593

-21.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 NT$53.4

$1.63 ฿54.4

1.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 NT$70.3

$2.85 ฿95.3

-23.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 NT$19.68

$0.85 ฿28.31

-28.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.89 NT$1,099

$53.9 ฿1,801

-37.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 NT$82.2

$1.17 ฿39.18

116.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 NT$24.92

$0.57 ฿19.00

35.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 NT$186

$2.37 ฿79.2

142.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 NT$32.90

$1.45 ฿48.32

-30.34%

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

$32.8K NT$1.1M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

60.20%

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

$24.1K NT$780.6K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-9.21%

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

$87.2 NT$2,828

$62.3 ฿2,083

39.92%

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

$17.51 NT$568

$12.27 ฿410

42.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.30 NT$691

$19.97 ฿668

6.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.65 NT$1,480

$37.91 ฿1,267

20.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 NT$311

$6.71 ฿224

43.07%

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

$433 NT$14.1K

$797 ฿26.6K

-45.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,413 NT$175.5K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-63.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 NT$2,050

$53.3 ฿1,780

18.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.20 NT$1,271

$25.05 ฿837

56.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.7 NT$2,716

$91.6 ฿3,062

-8.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 NT$3,353

$73.5 ฿2,455

40.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 NT$9,624

$464 ฿15.5K

-36.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$200 NT$6,470

$305 ฿10.2K

-34.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 NT$27.4K

$915 ฿30.6K

-7.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$696 NT$22.6K

$552 ฿18.5K

26.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,123 NT$133.7K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

115.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,022 NT$98.0K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

110.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,376 NT$44.6K

$595 ฿19.9K

131.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

5.57

-56.91%

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

Last update for Tainan: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tainan

$393 36.9%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 39.5% $155

Accommodation & Living

Tainan

$200 18.7%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 52.7% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Tainan

$130 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 15.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tainan

$126 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 25% $31

Eating Out

Tainan

$111 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 28.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Tainan

$65 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 20.8% $14

Getting Around

Tainan

$43 4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 43.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $297 in Tainan 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 131% higher in Tainan, 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 $25.00 in Tainan versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $393 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Tainan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

07:16 7:16 AM

1 h behind Tainan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,886,033

127,240

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tainan Chiang Mai 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tainan
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

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

Tainan costs about 14% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,602 per month in Tainan and $1,408 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.

Kindergarten costs $433 per month in Tainan and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 65% more in Tainan, 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 $938, than in Tainan at $1,068. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tainan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,068 in Tainan. 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, Tainan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.