Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tarneit and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,519 in Tarneit, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Tarneit
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Tarneit Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Tarneit

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,519

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,519 per month in Tarneit vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tarneit $2,519
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,640 per month in Tarneit vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tarneit $3,640
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,760 per month in Tarneit vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tarneit $4,760
Chiang Mai $1,979

Tarneit costs about 169% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tarneit sits 85% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.61 A$24.94

$2.24 ฿75.5

686.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.9 A$120

$19.00 ฿640

346.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.17 A$17.24

$5.55 ฿187

119.28%

Cappuccino

$4.02 A$5.69

$1.67 ฿56.4

140.72%

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

$3.06 A$4.34

$0.64 ฿21.51

378.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 A$3.51

$0.31 ฿10.29

700.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.61 A$13.62

$2.36 ฿79.5

307.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.45 A$11.97

$3.66 ฿123

130.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 A$1.23

$1.95 ฿65.7

-55.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 A$1.76

$1.44 ฿48.41

-13.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 A$1.94

$1.33 ฿44.97

3.01%

Eggs

$5.16 A$7.31

$2.28 ฿77.0

126.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.41 A$14.74

$16.45 ฿554

-36.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.89 A$14.01

$2.78 ฿93.8

255.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.98 A$21.23

$9.31 ฿314

60.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 A$5.91

$2.35 ฿79.3

77.45%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.43

$0.97 ฿32.75

222.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.11 A$4.41

$1.60 ฿53.8

94.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.86 A$6.89

$1.50 ฿50.6

224.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.08 A$4.36

$1.28 ฿43.06

140.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 A$3.50

$1.10 ฿37.14

124.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.49

$0.71 ฿23.79

246.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 A$2.23

$0.49 ฿16.34

220.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.03 A$63.8

$4.14 ฿140

987.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.54 A$17.76

$17.52 ฿590

-28.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.71 A$8.08

$1.61 ฿54.4

254.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.29 A$7.50

$2.78 ฿93.8

90.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.78 A$3.94

$0.87 ฿29.27

219.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.4 A$134

$54.1 ฿1,823

74.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 A$6.27

$1.16 ฿39.00

281.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 A$1.94

$0.53 ฿17.78

158.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.03 A$42.53

$2.42 ฿81.6

1140.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 A$2.01

$1.45 ฿48.82

-2.07%

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

$29.9K A$42.4K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

41.97%

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

$26.4K A$37.4K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-2.07%

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

$178 A$252

$62.2 ฿2,095

185.73%

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

$28.26 A$40.03

$12.17 ฿410

132.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.9 A$80.6

$20.12 ฿678

182.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.8 A$80.4

$37.31 ฿1,257

52.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.11 A$22.82

$3.77 ฿127

327.32%

Cinema Ticket

$17.30 A$24.50

$6.49 ฿219

166.56%

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

$2,489 A$3,525

$736 ฿24.8K

238.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.0K A$42.5K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

103.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 A$114

$53.4 ฿1,799

50.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 A$71.7

$24.64 ฿830

105.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 A$170

$91.5 ฿3,083

31.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$186

$71.9 ฿2,424

82.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,380 A$1,955

$482 ฿16.3K

186.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 A$1,710

$309 ฿10.4K

290.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,347 A$3,325

$1,006 ฿33.9K

133.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,797 A$2,545

$633 ฿21.3K

183.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,047 A$8,567

$2,363 ฿79.6K

155.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,601 A$6,518

$1,589 ฿53.6K

189.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

5.57

5.92%

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

Last update for Tarneit: 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

Tarneit

$1.2K 47.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 74.4% $898

Groceries & Markets

Tarneit

$356 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 34.2% $122

Eating Out

Tarneit

$313 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 75.2% $235

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tarneit

$263 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 64.1% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Tarneit

$172 6.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 36.8% $63

Getting Around

Tarneit

$117 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 47.5% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Tarneit

$91 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 45% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,380 in Tarneit 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Tarneit versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Tarneit

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:58 5:58 PM

13:58 1:58 PM

4 h behind Tarneit

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,562

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.706 USD

1 AUD = 0.634 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.706 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.634 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Tarneit Chiang Mai 7,900 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Tarneit
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

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

Tarneit costs about 169% 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 $3,779 per month in Tarneit 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 $1,380 in Tarneit.

Kindergarten costs $2,489 per month in Tarneit 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 52% more in Tarneit, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,519 in Tarneit 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 cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 63% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.