Cost of living comparison
compared to
Chiang Mai vs. Chiang Rai Cost of Living Summary
Chiang Mai is 32.2% more expensive than Chiang Rai.
Chiang Mai vs. Chiang Rai Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Chiang Mai instead of Chiang Rai, you would:
pay 29.5% more for restaurants
Chiang Rai | Chiang Mai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $2.02 THB67.31 | $2.02 THB67.29 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $5.58 THB186.40 | $8.05 THB268.66 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $0.62 THB20.71 | $0.79 THB26.47 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.29 THB9.73 | $0.34 THB11.34 | |
Chiang Rai vs. Chiang Mai - Cost of restaurants
pay 19.5% more for groceries
Chiang Rai | Chiang Mai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.58 THB52.81 | $1.58 THB52.80 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $8.37 THB279.37 | $8.36 THB279.30 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $6.70 THB223.76 | $6.70 THB223.71 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $1.94 THB64.72 | $2.07 THB69.02 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $1.36 THB45.46 | $1.36 THB45.45 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.18 THB39.34 | $1.33 THB44.48 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.47 THB15.66 | $0.53 THB17.57 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $0.77 THB25.83 | $0.79 THB26.46 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $0.42 THB14.09 | $0.74 THB24.85 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.64 THB21.49 | $0.64 THB21.48 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.52 THB17.22 | $0.55 THB18.28 | |
Chiang Rai vs. Chiang Mai - Cost of groceries
pay 3.9% less for transportation
Chiang Rai | Chiang Mai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.83 THB161.33 | $4.83 THB161.29 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $23.26 THB776.66 | $19.14 THB639.18 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $20,468.61 THB683K | $22,478.88 THB751K | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $11.94 THB398.69 | $11.94 THB398.59 | |
Chiang Rai vs. Chiang Mai - Cost of transportation
pay 32.3% more for housing
Chiang Rai | Chiang Mai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $14.34 THB478.68 | $19.34 THB645.70 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $268.78 THB8,974.73 | $440.41 THB14,705.47 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $259.73 THB8,672.70 | $249.32 THB8,324.94 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $38.14 THB1,273.44 | $51.23 THB1,710.70 | |
Chiang Rai vs. Chiang Mai - Cost of housing
pay 96.5% more for childcare
Chiang Rai | Chiang Mai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $644.81 THB21,530.73 | $644.65 THB21,525.39 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $7,753.26 THB259K | $15,231.38 THB509K | |
Chiang Rai vs. Chiang Mai - Cost of childcare
pay 23.7% more for entertainment and sports
Chiang Rai | Chiang Mai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $1.86 THB62.13 | $2.25 THB75.06 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $1.28 THB42.72 | $1.90 THB63.60 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $3.72 THB124.27 | $4.34 THB144.94 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $37.22 THB1,242.66 | $35.28 THB1,177.90 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $3.72 THB124.27 | $5.12 THB170.82 | |
Chiang Rai vs. Chiang Mai - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 27.6% more for clothing
Chiang Rai | Chiang Mai | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $62.03 THB2,071.09 | $62.01 THB2,070.58 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $19.90 THB664.48 | $19.90 THB664.31 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $72.88 THB2,433.53 | $93.02 THB3,105.87 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $67.19 THB2,243.68 | $67.18 THB2,243.13 | |
Chiang Rai vs. Chiang Mai - 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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