Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wagga Wagga and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,906 in Wagga Wagga, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Wagga Wagga
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Wagga Wagga Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Wagga Wagga

🇦🇺 Australia

$1,906

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,906 per month in Wagga Wagga vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Wagga Wagga $1,906
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,885 per month in Wagga Wagga vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Wagga Wagga $2,885
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,865 per month in Wagga Wagga vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Wagga Wagga $3,865
Chiang Mai $1,979

Wagga Wagga costs about 104% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Wagga Wagga sits 40% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.65 A$19.48

$2.24 ฿75.6

509.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.4 A$129

$19.00 ฿641

375.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.32 A$14.73

$5.55 ฿187

85.95%

Cappuccino

$4.02 A$5.74

$1.67 ฿56.5

140.72%

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

$3.12 A$4.46

$0.64 ฿21.53

387.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 A$3.58

$0.31 ฿10.30

709.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.64 A$12.33

$2.36 ฿79.5

266.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.01 A$14.28

$3.66 ฿124

173.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.13

$1.95 ฿65.7

-23.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.21 A$4.59

$1.44 ฿48.45

122.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 A$3.72

$1.33 ฿45.01

95.49%

Eggs

$5.32 A$7.59

$2.28 ฿77.0

133.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 A$18.51

$16.45 ฿555

-21.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 A$14.14

$2.78 ฿93.8

256.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.47 A$22.08

$9.31 ฿314

66.17%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.74

$2.35 ฿79.4

71.06%

Banana (1kg)

$3.13 A$4.47

$0.97 ฿32.78

222.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.46 A$4.94

$1.60 ฿53.9

116.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.20 A$7.42

$1.50 ฿50.6

246.67%

Potato (1kg)

$3.09 A$4.42

$1.28 ฿43.10

141.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.72 A$3.88

$1.10 ฿37.17

147.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 A$3.51

$0.71 ฿23.81

246.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 A$2.00

$0.49 ฿16.36

185.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.05 A$64.3

$4.14 ฿140

988.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.91 A$19.85

$17.52 ฿591

-20.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.65 A$6.64

$1.61 ฿54.5

188.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 A$7.79

$2.78 ฿93.9

96.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.18 A$4.54

$0.87 ฿29.29

265.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.14 A$5.91

$1.16 ฿39.03

256.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 A$2.24

$0.53 ฿17.79

196.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.56 A$60.7

$2.42 ฿81.7

1658.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 A$1.87

$1.45 ฿48.87

-9.66%

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

$28.4K A$40.5K

$21.1K ฿710.3K

34.89%

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

$26.8K A$38.3K

$26.9K ฿908.7K

-0.45%

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

$186 A$265

$62.2 ฿2,097

198.97%

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

$27.04 A$38.59

$12.17 ฿410

122.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.3 A$80.3

$20.12 ฿679

179.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.02 A$39.99

$37.31 ฿1,259

-24.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$15.87 A$22.65

$6.49 ฿219

144.53%

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

$2,202 A$3,143

$736 ฿24.8K

199.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.5K A$29.3K

$14.8K ฿498.0K

38.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.3 A$110

$53.4 ฿1,800

44.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.3 A$80.4

$24.64 ฿831

128.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 A$155

$91.5 ฿3,086

19.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 A$187

$71.9 ฿2,426

82.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$907 A$1,294

$482 ฿16.3K

88.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$714 A$1,019

$309 ฿10.4K

131.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,526 A$2,179

$1,006 ฿33.9K

51.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,128 A$1,610

$633 ฿21.4K

78.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,463 A$4,942

$2,363 ฿79.7K

46.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,408 A$3,436

$1,589 ฿53.6K

51.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.95

5.57

6.82%

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

Last update for Wagga Wagga: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wagga Wagga

$714 37.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 56.7% $405

Groceries & Markets

Wagga Wagga

$396 20.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 40.8% $161

Eating Out

Wagga Wagga

$274 14.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 71.7% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wagga Wagga

$269 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 64.9% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Wagga Wagga

$168 8.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 35.4% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Wagga Wagga

$60 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 15.9% $9.5

Getting Around

Wagga Wagga

$25 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 148% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $907 in Wagga Wagga 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 $90 in Wagga Wagga versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $396 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Wagga Wagga

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:27 5:27 AM

01:27 1:27 AM

4 h behind Wagga Wagga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

49,686

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.701 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.701 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.628 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Wagga Wagga Chiang Mai 7,870 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Wagga Wagga
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

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

Wagga Wagga costs about 104% 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 $2,859 per month in Wagga Wagga 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $907 in Wagga Wagga.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Wagga Wagga and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 69% more in Wagga Wagga, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,906 in Wagga Wagga and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – 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.