Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yaren and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Yaren: $516 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Yaren

🇳🇷 Nauru

$516

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $516 per month in Yaren vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yaren $516
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,972 per month in Yaren vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yaren $2,972
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $5,428 per month in Yaren vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Yaren $5,428
Chiang Mai $1,979

Yaren is about 45% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Yaren and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Yaren 62% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.54 A$14.97

$2.24 ฿75.7

370.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.71 A$35.11

$19.00 ฿642

30.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

Cappuccino

$3.43 A$4.87

$1.67 ฿56.6

105.39%

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

$1.02 A$1.45

$0.64 ฿21.56

59.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 A$1.51

$0.31 ฿10.32

241.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.90 A$9.80

$2.36 ฿79.6

192.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.76 A$6.77

$3.66 ฿124

30.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.11 A$4.43

$1.95 ฿65.8

59.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 A$2.46

$1.44 ฿48.51

20.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

Potato (1kg)

$3.53 A$5.02

$1.28 ฿43.15

175.78%

Onion (1kg)

$3.49 A$4.96

$1.10 ฿37.22

217.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.41 A$4.84

$0.71 ฿23.84

380.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

Wine (Bottle)

$17.66 A$25.09

$17.52 ฿592

0.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 A$2.00

$0.87 ฿29.33

62.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.1 A$122

$54.1 ฿1,827

59.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.90 A$9.80

$1.16 ฿39.08

494.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.45 A$4.90

$0.53 ฿17.82

550.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.57 A$59.1

$2.42 ฿81.8

1617.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 A$2.50

$1.45 ฿48.93

21.38%

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

$35.0K A$49.7K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

66.23%

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

$10.5K A$15.0K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-60.86%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

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

$7.00 A$9.94

$12.17 ฿411

-42.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.46 A$40.43

$20.12 ฿680

41.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$0.01 A$0.02

$37.31 ฿1,260

-99.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.20 A$20.17

$3.77 ฿127

276.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 A$10.21

$6.49 ฿219

10.63%

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

$350 A$498

$736 ฿24.9K

-52.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K A$15.1K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-28.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.76 A$19.56

$53.4 ฿1,802

-74.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$10.58 A$15.04

$24.64 ฿832

-57.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$34.90 A$49.59

$91.5 ฿3,089

-61.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.4 A$98.6

$71.9 ฿2,429

-3.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,795 A$3,972

$482 ฿16.3K

479.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,100 A$7,247

$1,006 ฿34.0K

407.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,255 A$6,046

$633 ฿21.4K

571.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-28.19%

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

Last update for Yaren: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Yaren

–

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Groceries & Markets

Yaren

–

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Clothing & Footwear

Yaren

–

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yaren

–

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Eating Out

Yaren

–

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Getting Around

Yaren

–

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sport & Entertainment

Yaren

–

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,795 in Yaren 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 $25 in Yaren versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $115 in Yaren vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Yaren wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇷 Yaren

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:04 7:04 AM

02:04 2:04 AM

5 h behind Yaren

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,100 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Yaren Chiang Mai 7,710 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Yaren
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 81% more than Yaren, 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 $774 per month in Yaren 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 $2,795 in Yaren.

Kindergarten costs $350 per month in Yaren and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 104% 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 $800 monthly budget goes further in Yaren, where all-in costs run around $516, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Yaren it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $516 in Yaren to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.