Cost of living comparison
compared to
Chiang Rai vs. Chiang Mai Cost of Living Summary
Chiang Rai is 19.8% cheaper than Chiang Mai.
Chiang Rai vs. Chiang Mai Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Chiang Rai instead of Chiang Mai, you would:
pay 22.2% less for restaurants
Chiang Mai | Chiang Rai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $2.02 THB67.29 | $2.02 THB67.31 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $8.05 THB268.66 | $5.58 THB186.40 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $0.79 THB26.47 | $0.62 THB20.71 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.34 THB11.34 | $0.29 THB9.73 | |
Chiang Mai vs. Chiang Rai - Cost of restaurants
pay 13.4% less for groceries
Chiang Mai | Chiang Rai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.58 THB52.80 | $1.58 THB52.81 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $8.36 THB279.30 | $8.37 THB279.37 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $6.70 THB223.71 | $6.70 THB223.76 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $2.07 THB69.02 | $1.94 THB64.72 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $1.36 THB45.45 | $1.36 THB45.46 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.33 THB44.48 | $1.18 THB39.34 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.53 THB17.57 | $0.47 THB15.66 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $0.79 THB26.46 | $0.77 THB25.83 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $0.74 THB24.85 | $0.42 THB14.09 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.64 THB21.48 | $0.64 THB21.49 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.55 THB18.28 | $0.52 THB17.22 | |
Chiang Mai vs. Chiang Rai - Cost of groceries
pay 6.3% more for transportation
Chiang Mai | Chiang Rai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.83 THB161.29 | $4.83 THB161.33 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $19.14 THB639.18 | $23.26 THB776.66 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $22,478.88 THB751K | $20,468.61 THB683K | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $11.94 THB398.59 | $11.94 THB398.69 | |
Chiang Mai vs. Chiang Rai - Cost of transportation
pay 21.6% less for housing
Chiang Mai | Chiang Rai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $19.34 THB645.70 | $14.34 THB478.68 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $440.41 THB14,705.47 | $268.78 THB8,974.73 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $249.32 THB8,324.94 | $259.73 THB8,672.70 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $51.23 THB1,710.70 | $38.14 THB1,273.44 | |
Chiang Mai vs. Chiang Rai - Cost of housing
pay 49.1% less for childcare
Chiang Mai | Chiang Rai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $644.65 THB21,525.39 | $644.81 THB21,530.73 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $15,231.38 THB509K | $7,753.26 THB259K | |
Chiang Mai vs. Chiang Rai - Cost of childcare
pay 17.2% less for entertainment and sports
Chiang Mai | Chiang Rai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $2.25 THB75.06 | $1.86 THB62.13 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $1.90 THB63.60 | $1.28 THB42.72 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $4.34 THB144.94 | $3.72 THB124.27 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $35.28 THB1,177.90 | $37.22 THB1,242.66 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $5.12 THB170.82 | $3.72 THB124.27 | |
Chiang Mai vs. Chiang Rai - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 21.6% less for clothing
Chiang Mai | Chiang Rai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $62.01 THB2,070.58 | $62.03 THB2,071.09 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $19.90 THB664.31 | $19.90 THB664.48 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $93.02 THB3,105.87 | $72.88 THB2,433.53 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $67.18 THB2,243.13 | $67.19 THB2,243.68 | |
Chiang Mai vs. Chiang Rai - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
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