Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubon Ratchathani and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubon Ratchathani: $781 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Ubon Ratchathani
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Ubon Ratchathani Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ubon Ratchathani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$781

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $781 per month in Ubon Ratchathani vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ubon Ratchathani $781
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,444 per month in Ubon Ratchathani vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ubon Ratchathani $1,444
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,106 per month in Ubon Ratchathani vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ubon Ratchathani $2,106
Chiang Mai $1,903

Ubon Ratchathani is about 16% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ubon Ratchathani and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Ubon Ratchathani 42% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.66 ฿156

$2.29 ฿76.5

103.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.60 ฿689

$19.64 ฿656

4.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 ฿248

$5.61 ฿188

32.09%

Cappuccino

$1.81 ฿60.3

$1.66 ฿55.6

9.04%

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

$1.30 ฿43.60

$0.70 ฿23.40

85.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ฿17.99

$0.31 ฿10.24

74.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$2.41 ฿80.4

-0.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 ฿121

$3.71 ฿124

-2.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$1.95 ฿65.3

-7.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.84

$1.41 ฿47.03

3.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.15

$1.31 ฿43.62

5.34%

Eggs

$2.05 ฿68.6

$2.18 ฿72.9

-5.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.08 ฿571

$16.65 ฿556

2.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$2.76 ฿92.2

-14.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.02 ฿368

$9.11 ฿304

20.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 ฿99.9

$2.39 ฿80.0

25.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.59

$1.03 ฿34.26

-1.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.2

$1.63 ฿54.4

30.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 ฿68.9

$1.50 ฿50.0

37.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 ฿47.54

$1.29 ฿43.13

10.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ฿35.58

$1.11 ฿37.03

-4.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.72 ฿24.08

55.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.51

$0.53 ฿17.59

-7.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 ฿142

$4.31 ฿144

-1.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.55 ฿453

$17.95 ฿600

-24.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 ฿55.4

$1.58 ฿52.9

5.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.84 ฿95.0

0.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.51

$0.86 ฿28.86

-1.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.40

$1.21 ฿40.29

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$0.57 ฿18.99

82.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.56 ฿219

$2.35 ฿78.6

179.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ฿40.86

$1.44 ฿47.96

-15.28%

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

$28.1K ฿939.2K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

35.56%

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

$31.4K ฿1.1M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

17.27%

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

$81.4 ฿2,719

$62.3 ฿2,083

30.52%

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

$12.16 ฿407

$12.11 ฿405

0.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.40 ฿481

$19.94 ฿666

-27.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.95 ฿1,603

$37.07 ฿1,239

29.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.14 ฿439

$3.78 ฿126

247.62%

Cinema Ticket

$6.70 ฿224

$6.50 ฿217

3.08%

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

$497 ฿16.6K

$793 ฿26.5K

-37.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K ฿413.4K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-16.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 ฿1,885

$53.7 ฿1,796

4.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.54 ฿954

$24.62 ฿823

15.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.2 ฿2,847

$90.9 ฿3,036

-6.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.8 ฿2,534

$71.1 ฿2,378

6.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$235 ฿7,843

$455 ฿15.2K

-48.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$143 ฿4,785

$298 ฿9,954

-51.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 ฿35.1K

$908 ฿30.4K

15.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 ฿24.2K

$554 ฿18.5K

30.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

8.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,243 ฿41.5K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-13.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$353 ฿11.8K

$591 ฿19.7K

-40.19%

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 Ubon Ratchathani: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ubon Ratchathani

$240 30.8%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 2% $4.7

Accommodation & Living

Ubon Ratchathani

$143 18.3%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 108% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Ubon Ratchathani

$111 14.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 2.3% $2.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubon Ratchathani

$108 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 12.5% $14

Eating Out

Ubon Ratchathani

$108 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 27.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Ubon Ratchathani

$61 7.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 18.4% $11

Getting Around

Ubon Ratchathani

$9.8 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 518% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $235 in Ubon Ratchathani 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 67% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $21.00 in Ubon Ratchathani versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $240 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Ubon Ratchathani

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:14 11:14 AM

Same time as Ubon Ratchathani

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,977

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ubon Ratchathani Chiang Mai 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ubon Ratchathani
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

Ubon Ratchathani vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 18% more than Ubon Ratchathani, 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 $1,171 per month in Ubon Ratchathani 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 Ubon Ratchathani, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Ubon Ratchathani and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ubon Ratchathani, where all-in costs run around $781, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Ubon Ratchathani it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ubon Ratchathani costs $781 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. 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 Ubon Ratchathani. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.