Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thung Song and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Thung Song: $897 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $470 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

43

Cost of Living Index in Thung Song
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Thung Song Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Thung Song

🇹🇭 Thailand

$897

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $897 per month in Thung Song vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Thung Song $897
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,472 per month in Thung Song vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Thung Song $1,472
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,047 per month in Thung Song vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Thung Song $2,047
Chiang Mai $1,979

Thung Song is about 4% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Thung Song and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Thung Song 34% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$2.24 ฿75.6

95.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.61 ฿594

$19.00 ฿641

-7.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.57 ฿289

$5.55 ฿187

54.41%

Cappuccino

$2.25 ฿75.9

$1.67 ฿56.5

34.73%

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

$0.72 ฿24.37

$0.64 ฿21.54

12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.62

$0.31 ฿10.31

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿87.5

$2.36 ฿79.5

9.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 ฿127

$3.66 ฿124

2.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ฿57.6

$1.95 ฿65.7

-12.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿47.39

$1.44 ฿48.46

-2.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 ฿51.9

$1.33 ฿45.03

15.79%

Eggs

$2.12 ฿71.4

$2.28 ฿77.1

-7.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.55 ฿660

$16.45 ฿555

18.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$2.78 ฿93.9

18.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.19 ฿378

$9.31 ฿314

20.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ฿99.9

$2.35 ฿79.4

25.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.8

$0.97 ฿32.79

73.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.63 ฿21.25

$1.60 ฿53.9

-60.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 ฿72.8

$1.50 ฿50.6

44.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.10

$1.28 ฿43.11

14.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 ฿44.58

$1.10 ฿37.18

20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ฿35.70

$0.71 ฿23.82

49.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$0.49 ฿16.36

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.27 ฿144

$4.14 ฿140

3.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.51 ฿625

$17.52 ฿591

5.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.76 ฿59.2

$1.61 ฿54.5

9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 ฿74.4

$2.78 ฿93.9

-20.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.66

$0.87 ฿29.30

-2.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 ฿76.0

$1.16 ฿39.04

93.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ฿34.71

$0.53 ฿17.80

94.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 ฿131

$2.42 ฿81.7

59.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ฿37.74

$1.45 ฿48.88

-22.76%

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

$26.4K ฿889.2K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

25.14%

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

$27.3K ฿921.9K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

1.41%

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

$29.42 ฿993

$62.2 ฿2,098

-52.68%

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

$6.07 ฿205

$12.17 ฿411

-50.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.76 ฿464

$20.12 ฿679

-31.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.05 ฿1,621

$37.31 ฿1,259

28.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.10 ฿442

$3.77 ฿127

247.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 ฿252

$6.49 ฿219

14.79%

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

$563 ฿19.0K

$736 ฿24.8K

-23.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿381.2K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-23.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.97 ฿910

$53.4 ฿1,801

-49.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.09 ฿610

$24.64 ฿831

-26.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.6 ฿3,294

$91.5 ฿3,087

6.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.7 ฿2,924

$71.9 ฿2,427

20.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$440 ฿14.8K

$482 ฿16.3K

-8.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿10.0K

$309 ฿10.4K

-3.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ฿38.7K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

14.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 ฿23.9K

$633 ฿21.4K

11.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,973 ฿66.6K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-16.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,472 ฿49.7K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-7.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-10.23%

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

Last update for Thung Song: 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

Thung Song

$298 33.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 3.8% $11

Groceries & Markets

Thung Song

$260 29%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 10% $26

Eating Out

Thung Song

$112 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 31% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Thung Song

$103 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 5.3% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Thung Song

$63 7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 20.1% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thung Song

$49 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 91.8% $45

Getting Around

Thung Song

$11 * 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 469% $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 Thung Song 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 $18 in Thung Song versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $260 in Thung Song vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Chiang Mai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Thung Song

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:46 10:46 AM

Same time as Thung Song

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,232

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Thung Song Chiang Mai 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Thung Song
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

Thung Song vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 4% more than Thung Song, 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 $1,345 per month in Thung Song and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $440 in Thung Song and $482 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Thung Song and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

Families tend to lean toward Thung Song – 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.