Cost of Living Comparison Between Bangkok and Chiang Mai 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Chiang Mai is 18.5% lower than in Bangkok (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Chiang Mai is 26.5% lower than in Bangkok
Rent Prices in Chiang Mai are 48.3% lower than in Bangkok
Restaurant Prices in Chiang Mai are 16.4% lower than in Bangkok
Groceries Prices in Chiang Mai are 10.2% lower than in Bangkok
Local Purchasing Power in Chiang Mai is 27.6% higher than in Bangkok
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Bangkok Edit Chiang Mai Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 100.00 ฿ 62.50 ฿      -37.5 %
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) 145.00 ฿ 120.00 ฿      -17.2 %
Cappuccino (regular) 85.88 ฿ 63.50 ฿      -26.1 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 22.56 ฿ 26.83 ฿      +19.0 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 8.90 ฿ 11.90 ฿      +33.7 %
Markets
Bangkok Edit Chiang Mai Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 249.98 ฿ 197.95 ฿      -20.8 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 39.58 ฿ 44.53 ฿      +12.5 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 21.19 ฿ 17.15 ฿      -19.1 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 72.73 ฿ 64.74 ฿      -11.0 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 278.74 ฿ 240.00 ฿      -13.9 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 44.93 ฿ 45.21 ฿      +0.6 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 140.45 ฿ 164.15 ฿      +16.9 %
Apples (1 lb) 51.62 ฿ 39.27 ฿      -23.9 %
Banana (1 lb) 25.61 ฿ 18.60 ฿      -27.4 %
Oranges (1 lb) 33.11 ฿ 24.30 ฿      -26.6 %
Tomato (1 lb) 28.31 ฿ 21.17 ฿      -25.2 %
Potato (1 lb) 23.57 ฿ 19.15 ฿      -18.7 %
Onion (1 lb) 21.53 ฿ 16.74 ฿      -22.3 %
Lettuce (1 head) 43.07 ฿ 19.50 ฿      -54.7 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 16.99 ฿ 16.79 ฿      -1.2 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 600.00 ฿ 600.00 ฿      0.0 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 60.11 ฿ 59.02 ฿      -1.8 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 111.33 ฿ 109.29 ฿      -1.8 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 150.00 ฿ 150.00 ฿      0.0 %
Transportation
Bangkok Edit Chiang Mai Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 40.00 ฿ 30.00 ฿      -25.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 1,200.00 ฿ 800.00 ฿      -33.3 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 35.00 ฿ 42.50 ฿      +21.4 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 64.37 ฿ 72.42 ฿      +12.5 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 200.00 ฿ 260.00 ฿      +30.0 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 151.94 ฿ 155.64 ฿      +2.4 %
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) 925,735.29 ฿ 762,000.00 ฿      -17.7 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Bangkok Edit Chiang Mai Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 3,018.20 ฿ 2,341.23 ฿      -22.4 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 433.47 ฿ 456.95 ฿      +5.4 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 526.04 ฿ 559.93 ฿      +6.4 %
Sports And Leisure
Bangkok Edit Chiang Mai Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 1,760.03 ฿ 1,225.25 ฿      -30.4 %
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 19,260.71 ฿ 9,888.89 ฿      -48.7 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 427,142.86 ฿ 480,000.00 ฿      +12.4 %
Clothing And Shoes
Bangkok Edit Chiang Mai Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 1,927.57 ฿ 1,916.67 ฿      -0.6 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 1,258.64 ฿ 950.00 ฿      -24.5 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 3,363.96 ฿ 2,700.00 ฿      -19.7 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 3,037.50 ฿ 2,250.00 ฿      -25.9 %
Rent Per Month
Bangkok Edit Chiang Mai Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 22,105.26 ฿ 13,317.65 ฿      -39.8 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 10,855.48 ฿ 7,281.25 ฿      -32.9 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 60,456.95 ฿ 25,833.33 ฿      -57.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 27,567.27 ฿ 16,076.92 ฿      -41.7 %
Buy Apartment Price
Bangkok Edit Chiang Mai Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 17,925.91 ฿ 5,961.23 ฿      -66.7 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 8,343.67 ฿ 3,400.22 ฿      -59.2 %
Salaries And Financing
Bangkok Edit Chiang Mai Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 26,666.02 ฿ 25,000.00 ฿      -6.2 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 5.81 5.00      -13.9 %
Last update: May 2025May 2025
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