Cost of Living in Chiang Mai, 🇹🇭 Thailand - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

AI estimate Updated Mar 22, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing $670 $426 $1,066 $168 $46

Utilities $107 $85 $198 $37 —

Internet & Mobile $259 $34 $67 $18 $2

Groceries $91 $244 $548 $137 $5

Transportation $137 $107 $366 $46 $12

Dining Out $457 $274 $548 $91 $37

Leisure Activities $183 $152 $305 $30 $24

Health Insurance $76 $107 $366 $15 $3

Visa & Legal Fees $61 $46 $122 — $1

Total $2,041 $1,475 $3,586 $542 $130

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) $441.68 per month

Coworking Space $115.75 per month

Airbnb (1 month) $852.89 per month

Coliving Space $593.98 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee $2.28 per cup

Beer $2.74 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) $1.83 per meal

Fast Food Combo $6.70 per meal

Apples $2.89 per kg

Bread $1.68 per loaf

Milk $3.20 per liter

Rice $1.37 per kg

Chicken Fillets $5.64 per kg

Beef $12.79 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) $22.85 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) $27.41 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) $0.55 per bottle

Transportation

Taxi Start $1.52 per trip

Taxi per km $0.37 per km

Monthly Transport Pass $27.41 per month

Gasoline $1.20 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) $3.66 per trip

Scooter Rental $106.61 per month

Services

Mobile Plan $19.80 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) $21.02 per month

Gym Membership $48.74 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) $10.66 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) $15.20 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket $7.31 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans $54.83 per pair

Summer Dress $28.94 per dress

Running Shoes $88.34 per pair

Personal Care

Haircut $12.18 per visit

Laundry $1.83 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) $36.55 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) $4.57 per purchase

About these costs

Method: AI estimate
Last updated: Mar 22, 2026
Generated by: Model not recorded
Last changed: None yet
Exchange rate: 1 USD = 32.8295 THB

Generated by an AI model without cited sources and not yet checked by research. A research pass replaces these values with sourced ones, compared with similar cities.

Chiang Mai cost of living