Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bangkok 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Bangkok is 21.9% higher than in Chiang Mai (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Bangkok is 34.6% higher than in Chiang Mai
Rent Prices in Bangkok are 87.1% higher than in Chiang Mai
Restaurant Prices in Bangkok are 21.9% higher than in Chiang Mai
Groceries Prices in Bangkok are 8.6% higher than in Chiang Mai
Local Purchasing Power in Bangkok is 18.7% lower than in Chiang Mai
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Chiang Mai Edit Bangkok Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 65.00 ฿ 100.00 ฿      +53.8 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 600.00 ฿ 1,000.00 ฿      +66.7 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 250.00 ฿ 200.00 ฿      -20.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 70.00 ฿ 80.00 ฿      +14.3 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 120.00 ฿ 130.00 ฿      +8.3 %
Cappuccino (regular) 63.81 ฿ 81.75 ฿      +28.1 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 26.31 ฿ 22.76 ฿      -13.5 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 10.95 ฿ 8.92 ฿      -18.6 %
Markets
Chiang Mai Edit Bangkok Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 206.84 ฿ 224.82 ฿      +8.7 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 46.75 ฿ 40.33 ฿      -13.7 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 17.25 ฿ 21.26 ฿      +23.2 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 63.58 ฿ 71.64 ฿      +12.7 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 234.96 ฿ 271.75 ฿      +15.7 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 45.39 ฿ 44.60 ฿      -1.8 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 161.34 ฿ 138.05 ฿      -14.4 %
Apples (1 lb) 39.65 ฿ 51.39 ฿      +29.6 %
Banana (1 lb) 17.73 ฿ 25.80 ฿      +45.5 %
Oranges (1 lb) 24.63 ฿ 33.12 ฿      +34.5 %
Tomato (1 lb) 22.91 ฿ 27.73 ฿      +21.0 %
Potato (1 lb) 19.96 ฿ 23.85 ฿      +19.5 %
Onion (1 lb) 17.33 ฿ 21.55 ฿      +24.4 %
Lettuce (1 head) 22.33 ฿ 43.32 ฿      +94.0 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 17.50 ฿ 16.71 ฿      -4.5 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 600.00 ฿ 555.00 ฿      -7.5 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 58.81 ฿ 59.23 ฿      +0.7 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 105.62 ฿ 107.95 ฿      +2.2 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 150.00 ฿ 141.75 ฿      -5.5 %
Transportation
Chiang Mai Edit Bangkok Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 30.00 ฿ 40.00 ฿      +33.3 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 617.39 ฿ 1,200.00 ฿      +94.4 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 45.00 ฿ 35.00 ฿      -22.2 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 72.42 ฿ 68.40 ฿      -5.6 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 260.00 ฿ 200.00 ฿      -23.1 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 155.07 ฿ 150.54 ฿      -2.9 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 700,000.00 ฿ 1,200,000.00 ฿      +71.4 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 718,333.33 ฿ 935,088.24 ฿      +30.2 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Chiang Mai Edit Bangkok Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 2,274.09 ฿ 2,936.09 ฿      +29.1 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 452.21 ฿ 414.73 ฿      -8.3 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 576.19 ฿ 569.73 ฿      -1.1 %
Sports And Leisure
Chiang Mai Edit Bangkok Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 1,350.25 ฿ 1,717.17 ฿      +27.2 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 220.00 ฿ 341.72 ฿      +55.3 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 190.00 ฿ 250.00 ฿      +31.6 %
Childcare
Chiang Mai Edit Bangkok Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 9,888.89 ฿ 19,544.75 ฿      +97.6 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 480,000.00 ฿ 430,454.55 ฿      -10.3 %
Clothing And Shoes
Chiang Mai Edit Bangkok Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 1,800.00 ฿ 1,878.82 ฿      +4.4 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 858.33 ฿ 1,258.64 ฿      +46.6 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 2,750.00 ฿ 3,413.59 ฿      +24.1 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 2,300.00 ฿ 3,037.50 ฿      +32.1 %
Rent Per Month
Chiang Mai Edit Bangkok Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 13,987.08 ฿ 21,833.33 ฿      +56.1 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 7,731.25 ฿ 10,506.41 ฿      +35.9 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 26,388.89 ฿ 61,300.46 ฿      +132.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 16,461.54 ฿ 27,150.52 ฿      +64.9 %
Buy Apartment Price
Chiang Mai Edit Bangkok Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 6,224.45 ฿ 18,027.46 ฿      +189.6 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 3,437.38 ฿ 8,400.63 ฿      +144.4 %
Salaries And Financing
Chiang Mai Edit Bangkok Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 24,722.22 ฿ 27,048.77 ฿      +9.4 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 5.00 5.84      +16.7 %
Last update: 15 June 202518 June 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:63276