Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Trang and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Trang and in Chiang Mai: $954 and $936 a month, rent and utilities included.

46

Cost of Living Index in Trang
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Trang Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Trang

🇹🇭 Thailand

$954

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $954 per month in Trang vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Trang $954
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,525 per month in Trang vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Trang $1,525
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,095 per month in Trang vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Trang $2,095
Chiang Mai $1,979

Trang and Chiang Mai have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Trang and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Trang 30% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.83 ฿61.5

$2.24 ฿75.5

-18.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.69 ฿765

$19.00 ฿640

19.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.69 ฿293

$5.55 ฿187

56.58%

Cappuccino

$2.79 ฿94.0

$1.67 ฿56.4

67.07%

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

$0.94 ฿31.63

$0.64 ฿21.51

46.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.81

$0.31 ฿10.29

51.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 ฿87.0

$2.36 ฿79.5

9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿126

$3.66 ฿123

1.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ฿55.3

$1.95 ฿65.7

-15.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 ฿41.23

$1.44 ฿48.41

-15.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ฿34.40

$1.33 ฿44.97

-23.31%

Eggs

$2.13 ฿71.6

$2.28 ฿77.0

-6.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 ฿379

$16.45 ฿554

-31.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.32 ฿112

$2.78 ฿93.8

19.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 ฿379

$9.31 ฿314

20.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 ฿95.8

$2.35 ฿79.3

20.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 ฿56.4

$0.97 ฿32.75

72.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿77.5

$1.60 ฿53.8

43.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.2

$1.50 ฿50.6

38.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.41

$1.28 ฿43.06

7.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 ฿39.74

$1.10 ฿37.14

7.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.97

$0.71 ฿23.79

50.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.03

$0.49 ฿16.34

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.44 ฿150

$4.14 ฿140

7.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿615

$17.52 ฿590

4.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 ฿60.2

$1.61 ฿54.4

11.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.80

$0.87 ฿29.27

-2.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 ฿38.92

$1.16 ฿39.00

-0.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.53 ฿17.78

101.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿124

$2.42 ฿81.6

52.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 ฿36.64

$1.45 ฿48.82

-24.83%

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

$26.3K ฿887.7K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

25.09%

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

$27.1K ฿913.3K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

0.60%

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

$97.5 ฿3,284

$62.2 ฿2,095

56.75%

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

$11.37 ฿383

$12.17 ฿410

-6.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.89 ฿569

$20.12 ฿678

-16.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.26 ฿1,593

$37.31 ฿1,257

26.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.37 ฿451

$3.77 ฿127

254.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.70 ฿260

$6.49 ฿219

18.64%

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

$554 ฿18.7K

$736 ฿24.8K

-24.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K ฿382.9K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-23.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.8 ฿2,115

$53.4 ฿1,799

17.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.96 ฿976

$24.64 ฿830

17.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,237

$91.5 ฿3,083

4.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.8 ฿2,958

$71.9 ฿2,424

22.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 ฿14.3K

$482 ฿16.3K

-12.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$295 ฿9,932

$309 ฿10.4K

-4.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,166 ฿39.3K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

15.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$687 ฿23.2K

$633 ฿21.3K

8.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,910 ฿64.4K

$2,363 ฿79.6K

-19.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,448 ฿48.8K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-8.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Trang: 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

Trang

$295 30.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 4.8% $14

Groceries & Markets

Trang

$237 24.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 1.2% $2.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Trang

$126 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 24.9% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Trang

$124 13%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 12.4% $15

Eating Out

Trang

$100 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 22.6% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Trang

$63 6.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 19.8% $12

Getting Around

Trang

$9.9 * 1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 519% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $424 in Trang 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 $23 in Trang versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Trang

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:31 11:31 AM

Same time as Trang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,304

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Trang Chiang Mai 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Trang
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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,431 per month in Trang 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 Trang, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $424 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Trang and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $554 per month in Trang and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $954 in Trang and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $954 in Trang. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.