Cost of Living in Chiang Mai

Summary of cost of living in Chiang Mai, Thailand:

Restaurants
Edit Range
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 1.73 $ 1.39-3.33
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 16.63 $ 11.09-38.81
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 5.54 $ 5.54-6.93
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 2.22 $ 1.39-3.33
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3.33 $ 2.77-4.99
Cappuccino (regular) 1.54 $ 0.97-2.49
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 0.55 $ 0.42-1.11
Water (12 oz small bottle) 0.33 $ 0.25-0.55
Markets
Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 5.74 $ 3.50-9.44
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 1.19 $ 1.01-2.01
Rice (white), (1 lb) 0.51 $ 0.31-0.75
Eggs (regular) (12) 1.86 $ 1.39-3.59
Local Cheese (1 lb) 7.54 $ 4.02-31.44
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 1.11 $ 0.40-3.14
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 4.90 $ 1.89-7.04
Apples (1 lb) 1.13 $ 0.50-1.45
Banana (1 lb) 0.53 $ 0.38-0.75
Oranges (1 lb) 0.75 $ 0.38-2.51
Tomato (1 lb) 0.75 $ 0.25-1.89
Potato (1 lb) 0.59 $ 0.38-0.75
Onion (1 lb) 0.52 $ 0.31-0.75
Lettuce (1 head) 0.79 $ 0.28-1.39
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 0.49 $ 0.33-0.69
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 13.86 $ 9.70-22.18
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1.72 $ 1.39-2.22
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3.22 $ 2.08-4.99
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 3.88 $ 3.33-4.44
Transportation
Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 0.83 $ 0.83-0.97
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 22.18 $
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 1.04 $ 0.83-1.25
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.01 $ 1.78-2.23
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 2.77 $ 2.77-3.33
Gasoline (1 gallon) 4.42 $ 3.67-4.99
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 20,098.13 $ 19,405.10-20,791.17
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 22,223.45 $ 16,632.94-30,493.72
Utilities (Monthly)
Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 53.57 $ 29.45-99.49
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 12.69 $ 8.32-14.80
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 18.66 $ 9.70-33.27
Sports And Leisure
Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 35.74 $ 22.18-58.77
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 6.47 $ 5.54-5.54
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 5.68 $ 4.16-7.21
Childcare
Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 438.92 $ 277.22-577.53
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 10,825.27 $ 7,762.04-13,472.68
Clothing And Shoes
Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 49.90 $ 13.86-69.30
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 29.34 $ 12.47-55.44
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 83.16 $ 69.30-124.75
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 60.99 $ 33.27-97.03
Rent Per Month
Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 390.87 $ 277.22-554.43
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 222.54 $ 138.61-277.22
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 713.83 $ 498.99-970.25
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 415.82 $ 221.77-693.04
Buy Apartment Price
Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 179.25 $ 128.77-3,090.48
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 103.02 $ 77.26-200.88
Salaries And Financing
Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 523.94 $
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 4.38 3.00-7.00

Prices in Chiang Mai

This city had 495 entries in the past 12 months by 55 different contributors.
Last update: March 2024
Sources and References
Distribution of Expenses Using Our Statistical Model:
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11 Comments so far
Adam on Feb 07, 2024:
I'm planning to travel to Chiang Mai in May this year.
How do I find a rental unit prior to being there?
Your advice is much appreciated.
Douglas Sunlin on Dec 15, 2023:
The main reason Chiang Mai is so inexpensive is that wages are so low. It's a good, livable city. People are generally nice, and crime is very low. However, traffic is very bad, and if this city keeps growing, it will only get worse. The government can't be bothered to design driveable roads, educate its citizens to drive safely, or patrol the roads to ensure that traffic safety is enforced.
That said, if you are comfortable with the tropics, and with a third world country, and a place where few inhabitants speaks any language other than their native tongue, it seems a great place to retire!
DAVID A RONCA on May 26, 2023:
could I rent a house and live in Chiang Mai on 2,000$ a month. Am 70 years old with no medical problems.
Joe on Sep 09, 2022:
I live in Chiang Mai and have done for the past 3 years. It's an amazing place, and really quite cheap, especially once you get to know the city and the restaurants it contains. You can get really great food for between 30 to 60 baht in a lot of places. 10,000-15,000 range for condo buildings will get you something really nice.
Mind on Aug 21, 2022:
Would $1300 a month be enough for one person living expenses?
Anonymous on Apr 14, 2022:
I live in Chiang Mai. It's quite cheap - a meal starts from 30 baht, for example. I rent a rooftop 1 bdr apartment for 6000, with an amazing view. My expenses rarely exceed 20k baht monthly.
Dorian on Nov 26, 2021:
For the people who ask about bugs and other pest, go to Youtube and you will be pest free soon.
Dorian on Nov 26, 2021:
I have lived in Chiang Mai since September of 2018 and I usually pay less than $1,000 a month. I live in a three bedroom, two bathroom house ( 8,500 byth per month, about $285 ) with a three car covered drive way, a large yard with empty lots to my left, right and across the street. I live with my Thai girlfriend and until November her two sons, her oldest just joined the Army. We buy from Food Panda and Grab Eats and get store deliveries. I have cable and internet and other bills but I still spend less than #1,000 per month. I am 58 years old, a person can spend less than I do and live well or spend a lot more. I have a Bangkok Hospital card but I am in good health so I save money by taking care of myself. The only time I spend more than $1,000 a month is when traveling ( the virus is making me save money ) and I had an operation. You can pay more to live in a mud hut if you do not know how to check prices ( online ). Everything cost less here, Thailand cost 1/3 to 1/5 of the cost of living in America, if you are a fool with money or need lots of medical care or want everything imported you will pay more.
Big Randy on Nov 20, 2021:
Some of you people are idiots. I lived in Chiang Mai for 6 months in 2019. Me and my Fiance and between the both of us, we found it hard to spend over 1000 a month US. We went out on day trips every weekend. Now we do not drink a lot of Alcohol, so that kept cost down. We stayed in a condo that had a pool and gym. We did not Struggle or deprive ourselves at all.

And the person talking about the Rats.... HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO NEW YORK...hahaha.. Chiang Mai is a great place and i can't wait to go back...
Dougly on May 09, 2021:
General question/suggestion:
For someone seeking to expatriate for retirement, the Quality of Life metric could be adjusted, since a retiree is not relying on local income. I assume the Quality of Life also takes into account the average income of local inhabitants, and if their purchasing power is low, this might not matter too much to a retiree from a more affluent country.

You might want to give some thought to that.

Thank you for everything!
Anonymous on Mar 13, 2021:
Been to Chiang Mai many times beginning from 2008, city became insane expensive Thai people thinks farangs have endless money but for me chiang mai is over.