Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vung Tau and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Vung Tau: $608 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Vung Tau
Learn more

Vung Tau Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Vung Tau

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$608

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $608 per month in Vung Tau vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Vung Tau $608
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,015 per month in Vung Tau vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Vung Tau $1,015
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Vung Tau vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Vung Tau $1,423
Chiang Mai $1,914

Vung Tau is about 35% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Vung Tau and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Vung Tau 55% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.95 ₫50.5K

$2.26 ฿75.4

-13.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.66 ₫405.5K

$19.18 ฿641

-18.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.75 ₫97.0K

$5.59 ฿187

-32.92%

Cappuccino

$1.84 ₫47.6K

$1.72 ฿57.6

6.98%

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

$0.41 ₫10.6K

$0.64 ฿21.54

-35.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₫8,662

$0.33 ฿11.18

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ₫20.2K

$2.36 ฿78.7

-66.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 ₫26.3K

$3.90 ฿130

-74.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 ₫36.3K

$2.05 ฿68.6

-31.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.40 ฿46.70

-20.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ₫23.1K

$1.28 ฿42.89

-30.47%

Eggs

$1.65 ₫42.8K

$2.25 ฿75.3

-26.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.79 ₫124.0K

$16.94 ฿566

-71.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.60 ₫93.1K

$2.74 ฿91.6

31.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.44 ₫244.4K

$9.36 ฿313

0.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 ₫79.3K

$2.40 ฿80.3

27.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$1.01 ฿33.92

22.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.63 ₫16.3K

$1.61 ฿53.9

-60.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 ₫33.5K

$1.52 ฿50.7

-15.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.28 ฿42.90

-10.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$1.11 ฿37.22

7.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ₫15.7K

$0.72 ฿24.09

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ₫11.0K

$0.52 ฿17.54

-17.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.20 ₫31.1K

$4.33 ฿145

-72.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 ₫329.7K

$17.73 ฿593

-28.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₫21.1K

$1.63 ฿54.4

-50.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$2.85 ฿95.3

-64.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 ₫18.1K

$1.17 ฿39.18

-40.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 ₫15.3K

$0.57 ฿19.00

3.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$2.37 ฿79.2

-51.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 ₫20.7K

$1.45 ฿48.32

-44.83%

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

$30.2K ₫782.2M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

47.56%

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

$31.4K ₫811.9M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

18.28%

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

$46.69 ₫1.2M

$62.3 ฿2,083

-25.09%

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

$5.90 ₫152.7K

$12.27 ฿410

-51.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.99 ₫206.9K

$19.97 ฿668

-59.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.04 ₫441.1K

$37.91 ฿1,267

-55.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.41 ₫243.6K

$3.76 ฿126

150.27%

Cinema Ticket

$3.54 ₫91.6K

$6.71 ฿224

-47.24%

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

$117 ₫3.0M

$797 ฿26.6K

-85.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,586 ₫248.2M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-35.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.13 ₫547.1K

$53.3 ฿1,780

-60.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.89 ₫489.1K

$25.05 ฿837

-24.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 ₫2.4M

$91.6 ฿3,062

0.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.9 ₫1.8M

$73.5 ฿2,455

-7.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$304 ₫7.9M

$464 ฿15.5K

-34.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$199 ₫5.2M

$305 ฿10.2K

-34.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$752 ₫19.5M

$915 ฿30.6K

-17.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 ₫13.0M

$552 ฿18.5K

-8.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,301 ₫189.0M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

281.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,367 ₫113.1M

$1,438 ฿48.1K

203.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$572 ₫14.8M

$595 ฿19.9K

-3.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

5.57

55.12%

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

Last update for Vung Tau: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vung Tau

$199 32.7%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 53.1% $106

Groceries & Markets

Vung Tau

$173 28.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 37.9% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Vung Tau

$90 14.8%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 21.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vung Tau

$61 10%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 56.1% $34

Eating Out

Vung Tau

$58 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 36.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Vung Tau

$24 4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 113% $27

Getting Around

Vung Tau

$3.7 * 0.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 1575% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $304 in Vung Tau versus $464 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 4% 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 $16.00 in Vung Tau versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $173 vs $238 – making Vung Tau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Vung Tau

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

Same time as Vung Tau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

380,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Vung Tau Chiang Mai 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Vung Tau
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

Vung Tau vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 54% more than Vung Tau, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $912 per month in Vung Tau and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vung Tau, 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 $16.00 in Vung Tau and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Chiang Mai, 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 Vung Tau, where all-in costs run around $608, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Vung Tau 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. Vung Tau costs $608 versus $938 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 Vung Tau. 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.