Cost of living in Chiang Mai, Thailand
If you are considering a long stay in Chiang Mai, Thailand, you are probably wondering what the cost of living is like.
I’ll let you know, you’ve come to the right place!
Life in Thailand could be as simple as a room in a hostel-like environment or as luxurious as a mansion on land filled with mango trees and everything in between!
It all is dependent upon your own living preferences and your budget!
I chose the route of living modestly but still to my heart's content. I was looking for more of a local style of living and environment which ultimately landed me in a local neighborhood with a Thai style one bedroom!
In this article, I share my living expenses while in Chiang Mai, Thailand as explained in my Youtube “Cost of Living” video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jwInQDZGf4&t=585s).
RENTAL PROPERTIES
The first house I rented in Chiang Mai was a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath modern style two story home in a gated community close to the airport.
For 17,000 baht (around $500 usd) it included 24-hour security, a clubhouse (complete with sauna, salt water pool and a gym) and trash pick up. It also had its own wrap-around yard, carport, remote operated gate and washer/dryer.
The second house I rented was in the Suthep neighborhood about 10 minutes from Old City. It was a 1 bedroom, 2 bath thai style house with a side yard and coin operated laundromat across the street for 6,500 baht (around $200 usd).
Most rentals require a deposit of 2-3x the monthly rent.
Find more information on house hunting in this blog https://www.naturallynami.com/blog/house-hunting-in-chiang-mai-thailand
UTILITIES
Utilities vary from place to place in Chiang Mai and depend on whether you are in a house or condominium. Sometimes the owners lump the utility charges in with the rent and other times, you will be required to set them up and pay for them yourself.
Some of my utilities included:
wifi 1000 baht ($28usd) for the highest speed
electricity 1000-7000 baht ($50-200usd)
water 800 baht ($20usd)
phone 1000 baht ($28usd)
FOOD
Your food budget will completely depend on your own dietary preferences, location in Chiang Mai, etc.
You can get by on as little as 250 baht ($10usd) per day or “frivolously” spend in cafes and restaurants for as much as 750 baht ($20usd) per day.
Either way, eating out is a lot less expensive than many other countries and definitely less expensive than the states.
If you live in the city, only shop organic, have a vegan diet, etc. expect prices to be a lot higher.
If you are fine with a simple pad thai, chicken skewer with rice or smoothie bowl as a meal, you will save a lot more.
Grocery shopping and also be fairly inexpensive especially if you are perusing your local neighborhood vendors and produce.
TRANSPORTATION
Getting around in Chiang Mai, Thailand is the least of your worries! Many services comparable to Uber exist (Grab, Bolt, etc) through your mobile phone.
There are also motorized vehicle taxis called tuk tuks as well as trucks called songthaews.
To get from A to B, you are looking at paying as little as 60 baht ($1usd) per ride.
If you are interested in driving a scooter or moped, you will be paying around 2400 baht ($70usd) monthly in addition to 150 baht ($5usd) per tank of gas (usually will last around 2 weeks).
If you are interested in knowing more about driving in Thailand including how to get a motorcycle license, visit my blog Driving a Motorbike in Thailand
Daycare
For my fellow parents and their adults in training, the options for daycare, babysitting/nanny’s, schooling are plenty in Chiang Mai!
I personally loved Egg Tots Daycare in Hang Dong.
Daily pricing could be anywhere from 500-800 baht ($14-23usd) or 11,000 baht ($309usd) per month.
They have a great day to day program as well as lots of room for kids to enjoy outside and inside play.
The teachers are so nice and attentive and I felt very safe leaving baby girl there plus she loved it and all her friends.
They speak english as well as Thai and had a good kid to teacher ratio.
Other places I looked at in comparison included the Lemur Lion Lamb Daycare and the Sunshine Kindergarten.
That’s about it for my personal costs of living in Chiang Mai, Thailand. If you are interested in more tips, visit my blog on the things you should Know B4 You Go!
