Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Telford and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,057 in Telford, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Telford
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Telford Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Telford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,057

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,057 per month in Telford vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Telford $2,057
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,957 per month in Telford vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Telford $2,957
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $3,857 per month in Telford vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Telford $3,857
Chiang Mai $1,903

Telford costs about 122% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Telford sits 52% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.11 £15.09

$2.29 ฿76.5

778.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.8 £55.4

$19.64 ฿656

275.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.75 £7.32

$5.61 ฿188

73.80%

Cappuccino

$4.21 £3.16

$1.66 ฿55.6

153.61%

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

$2.70 £2.03

$0.70 ฿23.40

285.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 £0.80

$0.31 ฿10.24

245.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.98 £4.48

$2.41 ฿80.4

148.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 £4.98

$3.71 ฿124

78.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.95 ฿65.3

-17.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 £0.77

$1.41 ฿47.03

-27.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 £1.00

$1.31 ฿43.62

1.53%

Eggs

$3.28 £2.46

$2.18 ฿72.9

50.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.28 £5.46

$16.65 ฿556

-56.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.30 £6.98

$2.76 ฿92.2

236.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.77 £8.83

$9.11 ฿304

29.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 £1.82

$2.39 ฿80.0

1.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.03 ฿34.26

75.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 £1.88

$1.63 ฿54.4

53.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.73 £2.05

$1.50 ฿50.0

82.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 £1.40

$1.29 ฿43.13

44.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 £1.52

$1.11 ฿37.03

82.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.97 £0.72

$0.72 ฿24.08

34.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 £1.01

$0.53 ฿17.59

154.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.87 £14.91

$4.31 ฿144

361.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.14 £7.60

$17.95 ฿600

-43.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.71 £4.29

$1.58 ฿52.9

261.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 £4.00

$2.84 ฿95.0

87.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.08 £3.06

$0.86 ฿28.86

374.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$152 £114

$53.3 ฿1,780

184.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 £5.24

$1.21 ฿40.29

477.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.97 £2.98

$0.57 ฿18.99

596.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.86 £1.39

$1.44 ฿47.96

29.17%

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

$40.1K £30.1K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

93.54%

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

$44.3K £33.3K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

65.44%

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

$280 £210

$62.3 ฿2,083

349.11%

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

$21.76 £16.33

$12.11 ฿405

79.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.29 £26.48

$19.94 ฿666

76.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.31 £35.49

$37.07 ฿1,239

27.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$17.21 £12.91

$6.50 ฿217

164.77%

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

$1,570 £1,178

$793 ฿26.5K

98.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.5K £17.6K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

58.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.1 £39.84

$53.7 ฿1,796

-1.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.38 £19.04

$24.62 ฿823

3.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 £74.5

$90.9 ฿3,036

9.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 £101

$71.1 ฿2,378

89.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 £634

$455 ฿15.2K

85.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 £540

$298 ฿9,954

141.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,243 £932

$908 ฿30.4K

36.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,011 £758

$554 ฿18.5K

82.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,015 £3,012

$1,931 ฿64.5K

107.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,592 £6,446

$1,445 ฿48.3K

494.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,283 £2,463

$591 ฿19.7K

455.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.3

5.57

-4.85%

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

Last update for Telford: 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

Telford

$720 35%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 58.6% $422

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Telford

$337 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 72% $243

Eating Out

Telford

$299 14.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 73.7% $220

Groceries & Markets

Telford

$284 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 17.1% $49

Getting Around

Telford

$195 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 68.8% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Telford

$141 6.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 23.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Telford

$82 4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 38.8% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $845 in Telford 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.

Salaries run about 456% higher in Telford, 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 $74.0 in Telford versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $284 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Telford

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:31 8:31 PM

02:31 2:31 AM

6 h ahead of Telford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

180,000

127,240

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 23, 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 23, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Telford Chiang Mai 9,100 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Telford
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

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

Telford costs about 122% 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 $3,086 per month in Telford 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,570 per month in Telford and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Telford, 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 $925, than in Telford at $2,057. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Telford it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,057 in Telford. 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, Telford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.