Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangkok and Chiang Mai 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Chiang Mai is 17.5% lower than in Bangkok (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Chiang Mai is 25.6% lower than in Bangkok
Rent Prices in Chiang Mai are 46.9% lower than in Bangkok
Restaurant Prices in Chiang Mai are 14.8% lower than in Bangkok
Groceries Prices in Chiang Mai are 7.9% lower than in Bangkok
Local Purchasing Power in Chiang Mai is 22.9% higher than in Bangkok
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Bangkok Edit Chiang Mai Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 100.00 ฿ 65.00 ฿      -35.0 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 1,000.00 ฿ 700.00 ฿      -30.0 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 200.00 ฿ 250.00 ฿      +25.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 80.00 ฿ 70.00 ฿      -12.5 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 130.00 ฿ 120.00 ฿      -7.7 %
Cappuccino (regular) 81.74 ฿ 63.00 ฿      -22.9 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 22.83 ฿ 26.31 ฿      +15.2 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 9.18 ฿ 11.43 ฿      +24.5 %
Markets
Bangkok Edit Chiang Mai Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 224.72 ฿ 206.84 ฿      -8.0 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 40.33 ฿ 46.75 ฿      +15.9 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 21.25 ฿ 17.25 ฿      -18.8 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 71.61 ฿ 63.58 ฿      -11.2 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 271.45 ฿ 234.96 ฿      -13.4 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 44.60 ฿ 45.39 ฿      +1.8 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 138.05 ฿ 161.34 ฿      +16.9 %
Apples (1 lb) 51.37 ฿ 39.65 ฿      -22.8 %
Banana (1 lb) 25.78 ฿ 17.73 ฿      -31.2 %
Oranges (1 lb) 33.12 ฿ 24.63 ฿      -25.7 %
Tomato (1 lb) 27.72 ฿ 22.91 ฿      -17.4 %
Potato (1 lb) 23.85 ฿ 19.96 ฿      -16.3 %
Onion (1 lb) 21.55 ฿ 17.33 ฿      -19.6 %
Lettuce (1 head) 43.27 ฿ 22.33 ฿      -48.4 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 16.71 ฿ 17.50 ฿      +4.8 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 555.00 ฿ 600.00 ฿      +8.1 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 59.23 ฿ 58.81 ฿      -0.7 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 107.77 ฿ 105.62 ฿      -2.0 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 141.75 ฿ 150.00 ฿      +5.8 %
Transportation
Bangkok Edit Chiang Mai Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 40.00 ฿ 30.00 ฿      -25.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 1,200.00 ฿ 617.39 ฿      -48.6 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 35.00 ฿ 45.00 ฿      +28.6 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 68.40 ฿ 72.42 ฿      +5.9 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 200.00 ฿ 260.00 ฿      +30.0 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 150.47 ฿ 156.20 ฿      +3.8 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 1,200,000.00 ฿ 700,000.00 ฿      -41.7 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 935,088.24 ฿ 718,333.33 ฿      -23.2 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Bangkok Edit Chiang Mai Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 2,889.17 ฿ 2,293.48 ฿      -20.6 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 411.79 ฿ 458.83 ฿      +11.4 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 561.11 ฿ 564.60 ฿      +0.6 %
Sports And Leisure
Bangkok Edit Chiang Mai Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 1,779.08 ฿ 1,350.25 ฿      -24.1 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 341.72 ฿ 220.00 ฿      -35.6 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 250.00 ฿ 190.00 ฿      -24.0 %
Childcare
Bangkok Edit Chiang Mai Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 19,544.75 ฿ 9,888.89 ฿      -49.4 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 430,454.55 ฿ 480,000.00 ฿      +11.5 %
Clothing And Shoes
Bangkok Edit Chiang Mai Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 1,878.82 ฿ 1,800.00 ฿      -4.2 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 1,258.64 ฿ 858.33 ฿      -31.8 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 3,413.59 ฿ 2,750.00 ฿      -19.4 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 3,037.50 ฿ 2,300.00 ฿      -24.3 %
Rent Per Month
Bangkok Edit Chiang Mai Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 22,000.00 ฿ 14,438.99 ฿      -34.4 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 10,440.30 ฿ 7,543.75 ฿      -27.7 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 62,963.14 ฿ 26,388.89 ฿      -58.1 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 27,021.95 ฿ 16,583.33 ฿      -38.6 %
Buy Apartment Price
Bangkok Edit Chiang Mai Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 18,027.46 ฿ 6,224.45 ฿      -65.5 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 8,400.63 ฿ 3,437.38 ฿      -59.1 %
Salaries And Financing
Bangkok Edit Chiang Mai Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 27,023.35 ฿ 24,722.22 ฿      -8.5 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 5.84 5.00      -14.3 %
Last update: 13 June 202528 May 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:27362