Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wallingford and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,418 in Wallingford, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Wallingford
Learn more

Wallingford Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Wallingford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,418

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,418 per month in Wallingford vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Wallingford $2,418
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $3,611 per month in Wallingford vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Wallingford $3,611
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $4,805 per month in Wallingford vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Wallingford $4,805
Chiang Mai $1,903

Wallingford costs about 161% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Wallingford sits 78% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.33 £19.76

$2.29 ฿76.5

1049.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.2 £70.7

$19.64 ฿656

379.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 £7.62

$5.61 ฿188

81.11%

Cappuccino

$5.03 £3.77

$1.66 ฿55.6

203.01%

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

$2.85 £2.14

$0.70 ฿23.40

307.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 £1.62

$0.31 ฿10.24

596.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.84 £6.63

$2.41 ฿80.4

266.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.44 £5.58

$3.71 ฿124

100.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 £1.21

$1.95 ฿65.3

-17.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 £1.57

$1.41 ฿47.03

48.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 £1.83

$1.31 ฿43.62

85.50%

Eggs

$3.66 £2.75

$2.18 ฿72.9

67.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 £8.40

$16.65 ฿556

-32.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.57 £7.18

$2.76 ฿92.2

246.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.24 £11.43

$9.11 ฿304

67.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 £2.38

$2.39 ฿80.0

33.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 £1.08

$1.03 ฿34.26

39.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 £2.05

$1.63 ฿54.4

68.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 £2.45

$1.50 ฿50.0

118.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 £1.15

$1.29 ฿43.13

18.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.11 ฿37.03

54.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 £1.09

$0.72 ฿24.08

101.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 £1.36

$0.53 ฿17.59

243.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.55 £17.66

$4.31 ฿144

446.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.37 £10.03

$17.95 ฿600

-25.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.96 £2.22

$1.58 ฿52.9

87.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 £2.66

$2.84 ฿95.0

24.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.65 £2.74

$0.86 ฿28.86

324.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.1 £72.1

$53.3 ฿1,780

80.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.56 £4.92

$1.21 ฿40.29

442.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 £2.50

$0.57 ฿18.99

484.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.77 £19.34

$2.35 ฿78.6

996.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 £1.56

$1.44 ฿47.96

44.44%

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

$39.1K £29.3K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

88.46%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

51.20%

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

$281 £211

$62.3 ฿2,083

350.47%

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

$18.41 £13.81

$12.11 ฿405

52.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.37 £31.04

$19.94 ฿666

107.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.35 £34.02

$37.07 ฿1,239

22.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.50 £11.63

$3.78 ฿126

310.05%

Cinema Ticket

$13.37 £10.03

$6.50 ฿217

105.69%

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

$1,795 £1,347

$793 ฿26.5K

126.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.3K £22.0K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

97.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.5 £56.7

$53.7 ฿1,796

40.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 £41.28

$24.62 ฿823

123.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 £87.0

$90.9 ฿3,036

27.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 £82.1

$71.1 ฿2,378

53.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 £848

$455 ฿15.2K

148.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 £754

$298 ฿9,954

237.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,110 £1,583

$908 ฿30.4K

132.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 £1,253

$554 ฿18.5K

201.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,145 £3,860

$1,931 ฿64.5K

166.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,705 £2,779

$1,445 ฿48.3K

156.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,604 £1,953

$591 ฿19.7K

340.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

5.57

-14.90%

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

Last update for Wallingford: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wallingford

$1K 41.6%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 70.4% $708

Eating Out

Wallingford

$381 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 79.3% $302

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wallingford

$341 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 72.3% $246

Groceries & Markets

Wallingford

$325 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 27.5% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Wallingford

$160 6.6%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 32.5% $52

Getting Around

Wallingford

$134 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 54.6% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Wallingford

$72 3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 30.5% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,130 in Wallingford 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 341% higher in Wallingford, 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 $94.0 in Wallingford versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Wallingford

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:50 11:50 AM

17:50 5:50 PM

6 h ahead of Wallingford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,600

127,240

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Wallingford Chiang Mai 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Wallingford
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

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

Wallingford costs about 161% 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 $3,626 per month in Wallingford 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,795 per month in Wallingford and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Wallingford, 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 Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Wallingford at $2,418. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wallingford it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,418 in Wallingford. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Wallingford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.