Typical budget in Chiang Mai
Noodle stalls can be found on every street corner
Chiang Mai, the cheapest major tourist city in Thailand, is perfect for the thrifty discerning type who is interested in a splash of culture and mountain scenery.
As a rule of thumb, a typical budget in Chiang Mai could almost halve your Bangkok, Phuket or Samui budget, whether on holiday or living here permanently. Hotels and houses, like-for-like, really are that much cheaper, as is food, beer, and travel.
You can pick up a three to four-star hotel in-season for about 2,000 baht a night near the Night Bazaar, while monthly rent can go anywhere from a few thousand baht a month for a one-room condo near the city, to 10,000 or 20,000 baht for a fully-furnished house in a moo baan (gated estate).
In general, houses are better priced than condos and you could easily find a nice, three-bedroom place with a small garden, not far from the city centre, for under 10,000 baht per month. The smartest condo blocks that come with modern facilities, such as Hillside 4 with its swimming pool, gym and views of the mountains, generally have one-bedroom units for around 10,000 baht a month.
If you’re renting a house you will be asked to sign a one-year contract and pay three months upfront, two months being a deposit which should be returned to you when you move out if everything is in order. In the case of a condo, the deposit is usually one month’s rent. For more on renting condos in Chiang Mai.
Food and drink is another good deal in Chiang Mai. You can eat from a noodle cart on the street for 20 baht, or go for a multi-course meal at one of the city’s swanky international restaurants for about 1,000 baht per head. Prices for a meat and rice meal in a standard Thai restaurant are around 30 or 40 baht. The water is often free or 10 baht a bottle. Expect to pay 150 baht a dish in a tourist-friendly restaurant.
Long-termers will find a vast collection of supermarkets and grocery stores, and most visitors find a weekly shop for groceries quite cheap. A loaf of bread is around 35 baht, 40 baht for a litre of milk, 35 baht for a dozen eggs, and around 40 baht for a large local beer. There are one or two grocery stores in Chiang Mai that stock imported items like Rimping Supermarket. They generally have higher prices, yet feature a great selection of meats, cheeses and wines.
Songthaews take visitors anywhere for 20 baht
The cost of entertainment depends on where you plan on having fun. Hotels are the most expensive option for drinking, with a bottle of beer priced at around 130 baht in the better hotels. That same beer would be 70 baht in a standard girly bar or even less for the cheaper, local brews such as Beer Chang or Leo. A gin and tonic in a standard bar is around 120 baht. Drinks in the go-go bars are more expensive, while taking girls out of a bar incurs a so-called ‘bar fine’ of about 300 baht.
Entry to discos is usually around 100 baht with the first drink free. Going to the cinema is relatively cheap at around 120 baht a flick, with options to upgrade to comfortable executive seating for 300 baht. A cultural khantoke evening will cost about 250 to 300 baht and includes food and transport there.
Entry to Chiang Mai’s national parks is an exorbitant 200 or 400 baht (depending on the park), although you can often get in for the Thai price if you speak a bit of Thai or live here and have a Thai driving license. Most other attractions tend to also be dual-priced, such as Chiang Mai Zoo and even some museums.
Those living here will want to get internet connectivity, which runs from around 600 baht per month for a sketchy broadband connection with high contention-ratio (meaning more people per line) to a fairly good 1 megabyte ADSL connection for double that. More expensive and reliable business lines can also be had in the city at a higher cost, while dial-up connections feature pay-as-you-go cards at 10 baht an hour. For more on getting connected in Chiang Mai.
Mobile phones are a real saver anywhere in Thailand, with local calls often less than two baht a minute no matter what network you use or call. Pay-as-you-go SIM cards are widely available for all networks. They are usually 100 or 200 baht but will generally be free if you buy 1,000 baht credit at the same time, or a new phone.
Getting around is cheap in Chiang Mai, with local ‘baht buses’ (red pick-ups with seats) costing 20 baht on a set route in the town with other passengers. You can also charter an empty one from 60 baht a trip within the town regardless of the number of passengers. From the airport you’ll need to charter a taxi, with the trip to town a set 120 baht. Tickets are available from the clearly marked taxi desks in Chiang Mai International Airport Arrivals.
The small tuk-tuk (noisy three-wheeled scooters) cost anywhere up to 100 baht for a trip in and around town, but usually just 50 or 60 baht. You can rent a standard 100cc step-through Honda moped for 150 baht per day and monthly rates are also negotiable. Car rental is between 1,000 and 2,000 baht per day, with Toyota Solunas generally being the cheapest models.
Figure on anything from 15,000 to 50,000 baht per month for living in Chiang Mai. It is, of course, all totally subjective and dependent upon whether you like to party every night, where you live, and if you drive. If you don’t drink excessively and don’t need flashy accommodation or a car, you could easily get by on 15,000 per month, all inclusive, by being thrifty, eating at standard restaurants and buying local beer from stores.
Those on holiday should figure on about 2,000 to 3,000 baht per day, including a smart hotel and spending money. You could holiday a lot more cheaply by staying in a family-run place for 500 baht a night, going to the odd temple or museum, and eating and drinking moderately. Backpackers can get by on 500 baht per day, including a 200 baht room and 300 baht for food, drink and sightseeing.
For more on Chiang Mai hotels.
