One Month’s Spend for Travelers, Retirees and Nomads
When I decided to travel the world full-time, I set a monthly budget for myself of $1600 Canadian dollars (about $1,200 USD) per month. I know that it will vary depending on where I am in the world, but I plan to stick to it as best I can and hope it all evens out in the end. This Blog Post is only to give you a general idea of what to expect for a long term stay in Chiang Mai. Your expenses could be much lower or higher than mine depending on your style of living.
All figures below will be in US dollars.
Let’s see how my cost of living compares to my budget:
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Cost of Living in Chiang Mai
It feels like it has been decades since I was last in Chiang Mai. Truth is, it’s only been seven years, but man does that feel like forever. As many of you know, Thai food is by far my favourite cuisine in the world and I love Thailand in general. So coming back here is always easy and I was really excited to return to the city I fell in love with many years ago. It’s changed over the years, but it still has this small town vibe to it that keeps it charming.
If you have never been to Thailand, Chiang Mai is a city in northern Thailand. Established in the 13th century, and is the former capitol of the Lanna Kingdom. Surprisingly, with a population of just over 1.2 million people, Chiang Mai boasts more Buddhist temples than any other city in Thailand. No small accomplishment when you consider a city like Bangkok proper having more than nine million people and if you include Metropolitan Bangkok more like 17.5 million.
This begs the question: With such a vast difference in population between Chiang Mai and Bangkok, is the cost of living also dramatically different? Let’s delve into the details and see how far your dollar can stretch in the charming city of Chiang Mai.
Accommodations
On this trip to Chain Mai I decided to stay in the Nimman area. I had never stayed here before so I thought why not. Nimman is know as an expat area and it it is definitely that. However, unlike most most expat areas you find around SE Asia, it doesn’t feel as heavily foreign so to speak. You still find authentic Thai food, people, culture and neighbourhoods as you do anywhere else in Chiang Mai. There just happens to be more burger joints and you see a healthy dose of people that stand out just like I do.
My unit was located in Chiang Mai Condominiums and I can’t say enough good things about it. I will admit I was a little skeptical upon check in because the hallways are a bit run down, but once you enter the unit you step into another world. Nothing fancy, but extremely clean and well maintained.
This was a simple studio unit with full kitchen and bath, smart tv with Netflix and YouTube, comfortable bed, A/C, washing machine and work station. Really could not have asked for a better unit for the price that I paid.
My host, Tawanwa was fabulous. She literally sent me 5 pages of some her favourite spots to eat and highly rated restaurants in the area. She also saved my life when I went to extend my visa. When I arrived at immigration to extend my emails wouldn’t open so I could print some documents for immigration and she rushed to get them to me as soon as possible. More about that in the visa’s section in this post.
Check out the unit here. Bright Room Studio at Nimman 14
Total cost for accommodation for the month: $523
Looking for short term accommodations? Check these great deals:
- Luxury Accommodations: – Raya Heritage – SHA Plus – A gorgeous property that highlights the roots of the former Lanna Kingdom that Chiang Mia was the caital of 700 years ago. Featuring a gourmet restaurant and Spa.
- Mid-Range Accommodations: – Shamrock Chiangmai Hotel – Conveniently located in the center of Chiang Mai, Shamrock Chiangmai Hotel provides free WiFi throughout the property, a restaurant and free private parking for guests who drive. Each room at the 5-star hotel has mountain views.
- Budget Accommodations: – Proud Chiang Mai Poshtel – Proud Chiang Mai Poshtel provides express check-in and check-out, allergy-free rooms, a garden, free WiFi throughout the property and a terrace.
Or check here for the latest deals on Booking.com
Cost of Living in comparable sized cities to Chiang Mai: Danang, Vietnam
Cost of Living in Chiang Mai – Activities
This month Em and I visited several temples in the old town, a pet cafe, and the mind numbingly beautiful Doi Suthep temple just north of Chiang Mai. Em paid the entrance fee to all of these places so i can justify adding to my cost of living. None of them are very expensive though. The most we paid within the Old town was probably Wat Chedi Luang which I believe was $1 and Doi Suthep was $2.50
I also did another food tour with A Chef’s Tour. I have told you before that they operate in numerous cities around the world and this one was as spectacular as all of the others I have done. I love these tours so much that I have already booked another one in Bangkok for my arrival there. Full disclosure, I do not pay for these tours if I am making a video but that is not the the reason that I love them. They are literally the best food tours I have been on anywhere. Do I enjoy the other companies I have worked with? Absolutely, but nothing compares to A Chef’s Tour. Both in quantity and quality of the food as well as the knowledge that comes with their guides.
So my activities for this month include a tip to my guide with A Chef’s Tour and for this particular tour they hire a Songthaew so I tipped the driver as well.
Check out these two epic food tours from A Chef’s Tour in Chiang Mai:
Note, the one in the video below is the Lanna Kingdom Tour
- Lanna Kindgdom Chiang Mai Food Tour – On this tour you’ll try over 15 different dishes, snacks and drinks that offer a real introduction to the regional cuisine. A top licensed foodie guide will accompany you to help you make the most of the experience.
- Northern Flavours Chiang Mai Food Tour – Bounce around to 5 to 6 different spots trying dishes at vendors that only locals know. Hop right off the well-trodden tourist path and dive into Chiang Mai’s real foodie scene.
Total Cost for Activities for the month: $33
Have a look my Chiang Mai food tour with A Chef’s Tour: Raw Buffalo Meat and Pig Brains
Dining and Restaurants
With Thai food being my favourite food, it seems all I do when I am in Thailand is eat. This time was no exception. My favorite Thai dish and in fact my favourite dish in the entire world is Moo Pad Krapau. Having not been in Thailand in two years I am pretty sure I ate it 45 times in my 28 days in Chiang Mai. I featured this location in one of my videos but if you’re in Chiang Mai, I highly recommend Jeab Cafe. They make an excellent Moo Pad Krapau.
I also made a video of some of the best Khao Soi in Chiang Mai. This delectable dish is another of my Thai favourites and you never seem to find wuite like it is in Chiang Mai.
This category includes the three other food tours I filmed, grab deliveries and night’s out with Em. For perspective, my cheapest Grab delivery was $5 and the most expensive was $25. Dining out we for as little as $4 and a couple of crappy restaurants we tried that were around $30 each. Word of advice, if it seems like it is over rated it probably is. Crappy beer, service and food for $30 is always a bummer. On the positive side, it is still much cheaper than dining out in North America
Total Cost for Dining out for One Month: $262
Chiang Mai’s Best Khao Soi:
Cost of Living in Chiang Mai – Groceries
I buy very few groceries these days and this does not change this month. This consists of mostly small snacks and water
Total Cost for Groceries for the Month: $38
Cell Phones
I purchased an AIS sim card on my arrival to Chiang Mai. Quick and easy peasy. Again I purchased at the airport so I have data immediately. Yes, it costs more and in Thailand significantly more. But I still don’t care. it’s worth it to just not have to think about data after arriving.
Total Cost for Phone and Data for one Month: $27
You Might Also Like: Cost of Living in Bangkok 2024
Transportation
This category only includes Grab rides to and from the airport and around Chiang Mai. Thailand is no longer the inexpensive paradise it once was. Still cheap but gone are the days of being able to live extremely cheap. In fairness to Thailand, it’s about time. This country for years blessed us with extremely affordable prices.
Total cost for Transportation for One Month: $54
Looking for fun things to do in Chiang Mai? Check out some of these tours from Viator
Visas
Thailand offers a 30 day visa exemption for many passports, including mine. I did however have to go to immigration to apply for a visa extension. This entails filling out the forms for an extension, passport photos, and a TM30 that is filled out by your hotel or host (this is where Tawanwa saved me from earlier). Bring cash for the payment as they do not accept cards.
A final note: If you enter Thailand with a visa exemption you can only extend it once for 30 days before having to leave the country. If you want more than 60 days, apply for a Tourist visa before arriving through your nearest Thai embassy. This will give you 60 days that you then extend for another 30.
Total Cost for Visa extension: $52
Miscellaneous Expenses
This category covers everything that’s not included above. I include alcohol in miscellaneous, because I do enjoy a beer from time to time while hanging around the Airbnb. You might not drink and if you are planning a budget you can easily omit this cost. This month also includes toiletries and a haircut
Total Miscellaneous Costs for one month: $31
One thing I can’t live without while on the road full time – Saves me lots of money too!
Cost of Living in Chiang Mai – Totals
Cost of Living in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Looking at the table above, you can see I am under budget this month. While not as cheap as it once was, Thailand is still very affordable, My $1020 works out to a little over $1,402 CAD keeping me in the clear here. Money is quickly running out though, so If you have a job that I can do remotely from anywhere in the world, send me a message😁. However, this confirms what I always knew, it is cheaper to live abroad than living back in North America. If you would like to help support Pure Detour you can do so at: Buy Me A Coffee
Have you lived in Chiang Mai for any length of time? Were your numbers similar to my cost of living in Chiang Mai for one month? Do you have any other tips for potential travelers? Leave a comment and let me know. I would love to hear from you
