Cost of Living in Chiang Mai

Summary of cost of living in Chiang Mai, Thailand:

  • The estimated monthly costs for a family of four are 1,636.2€ (61,182.7฿), excluding rent (using our estimator).
  • The estimated monthly costs for a single person are 449.7€ (16,814.1฿), excluding rent.
  • Chiang Mai is 53.1% less expensive than Columbus (excluding rent, see our cost of living index).
  • Rent in Chiang Mai is, on average, 73.8% lower than in Columbus.
Restaurants
Edit Range
Meal at an Inexpensive Restaurant 1.74 € 1.34-3.21
Meal for Two at a Mid-Range Restaurant (Three Courses, Without Drinks) 16.71 € 13.37-37.44
Combo Meal at McDonald's (or Equivalent Fast-Food Meal) 6.94 € 5.35-8.02
Domestic Draft Beer (1 Pint) 1.94 € 1.34-3.21
Imported Beer (12 oz Small Bottle) 3.34 € 2.54-5.20
Cappuccino (Regular Size) 1.64 € 0.94-3.21
Soft Drink (Coca-Cola or Pepsi, 12 oz Small Bottle) 0.68 € 0.48-1.07
Bottled Water (12 oz) 0.29 € 0.27-0.53
Markets
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Milk (Regular, 1 Liter) 1.52 € 1.12-2.57
Fresh White Bread (1 lb Loaf) 1.19 € 0.85-1.87
White Rice (1 lb) 0.46 € 0.27-0.73
Eggs (12, Large Size) 1.79 € 1.20-2.41
Local Cheese (1 lb) 6.41 € 3.03-30.33
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 1.17 € 0.73-2.18
Beef Round or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat (1 lb) 3.99 € 1.46-9.70
Apples (1 lb) 1.14 € 0.30-2.14
Bananas (1 lb) 0.44 € 0.24-0.61
Oranges (1 lb) 0.67 € 0.36-2.43
Tomatoes (1 lb) 0.67 € 0.24-1.09
Potatoes (1 lb) 0.57 € 0.42-0.97
Onions (1 lb) 0.48 € 0.24-0.70
Lettuce (1 Head) 0.59 € 0.27-0.80
Bottled Water (50 oz) 0.45 € 0.27-0.80
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 16.05 € 8.02-21.39
Domestic Beer (16.9 oz Bottle) 1.53 € 1.34-1.87
Imported Beer (12 oz Small Bottle) 2.81 € 1.60-4.81
Cigarettes (Pack of 20, Marlboro) 3.74 € 3.21-4.01
Transportation
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One-Way Ticket (Local Transport) 0.80 € 0.27-1.34
Monthly Public Transport Pass (Regular Price) 16.51 € 11.63-21.39
Taxi Start (Standard Tariff) 1.27 € 1.07-2.67
Taxi 1 mile (Standard Tariff) 1.83 € 1.51-4.30
Taxi 1 Hour Waiting (Standard Tariff) 6.95 € 2.67-10.70
Gasoline (1 Liter) 1.11 € 0.94-1.23
Volkswagen Golf 1.5 (or Equivalent New Compact Car) 19,388.87 € 18,720.28-30,799.68
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6 (or Equivalent New Mid-Size Car) 22,574.66 € 21,100.43-23,908.48
Utilities (Monthly)
Edit
Basic Utilities for 915 Square Feet Apartment (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) 57.45 € 40.11-102.29
Mobile Phone Plan (Monthly, with Calls and 10GB+ Data) 11.53 € 8.02-18.72
Broadband Internet (Unlimited Data, 60 Mbps or Higher) 16.01 € 12.03-26.74
Sports And Leisure
Edit
Monthly Fitness Club Membership 29.04 € 20.06-40.11
Tennis Court Rental (1 Hour, Weekend) 5.88 € 4.81-5.35
Cinema Ticket (International Release) 4.41 € 3.21-8.02
Childcare
Edit
Private Full-Day Preschool or Kindergarten, Monthly Fee per Child 556.04 € 173.83-1,337.16
International Primary School, Annual Tuition per Child 13,137.63 € 9,360.14-18,720.28
Clothing And Shoes
Edit
Jeans (Levi's 501 or Similar) 53.49 € 32.09-85.58
Summer Dress in a Chain Store (e.g. Zara or H&M) 16.31 € 5.35-21.39
Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 80.23 € 58.84-120.34
Men's Leather Business Shoes 62.04 € 32.09-93.60
Rent Per Month
Edit
1 Bedroom Apartment in City Centre 379.79 € 267.43-588.35
1 Bedroom Apartment Outside of City Centre 214.28 € 133.72-347.66
3 Bedroom Apartment in City Centre 718.42 € 454.64-1,069.73
3 Bedroom Apartment Outside of City Centre 424.81 € 320.92-534.87
Buy Apartment Price
Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 177.02 € 99.38-2,981.41
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 124.85 € 74.54-193.79
Salaries And Financing
Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 650.20 €
Annual Mortgage Interest Rate (20-Year Fixed, in %) 5.10 3.00-7.00

Prices in Chiang Mai

This city had 739 entries in the past 12 months by 74 different contributors.
Last update: 22 September 2025
Sources and References
Distribution of Expenses Using Our Statistical Model:
Nearby Cities:
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13 Comments so far
Anonymous on Nov 25, 2024:
Melih, get health insurance. You may be required to do so depending on your visa.
Melih on Apr 25, 2024:
I think biggeat problem is health insurance. How shall I overcome this problem? Any suggestion?
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.