Chiang Mai Cost of Living: Overview
What it costs to live and work remotely from Chiang Mai, broken down by category.
Chiang Mai has been a nomad base for long enough that the infrastructure around remote work — coworking spaces, nomad-friendly cafes, an established community — is more mature than almost anywhere else in Southeast Asia. It's generally the lowest-cost option among the region's major nomad hubs, which is part of why it became one in the first place.
- 1BR apartment, city area — roughly 8,000-18,000 THB (~$230-500/month), depending heavily on neighborhood — Nimman and Old City run toward the higher end, Santitham and areas further out considerably less
- Coworking, monthly — roughly 3,000-6,000 THB (~$85-170/month) at an established space (Punspace, Yellow, Alt); a few budget options run as low as 1,900 THB (~$55)
- Local SIM/data — roughly $10-20/month for a heavy-data prepaid plan (AIS or Dtac), available at mall counters with passport registration
- Eating out, per meal — roughly $1-3 for street food and local restaurants, $5-9 for casual Western-style dining
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