Chiang Mai Cost of Living as a Digital Nomad

We decided to head to Northern Thailand as we sat in a rain-soaked hut in the Philippines. We wondered, where was the driest part of South East Asia?

It turned out to be one of the best decisions we made as digital nomads. I loved Chiang Mai. It’s small, walkable, filled to the brim with culture and history and warm. If you get the chance to visit, please do.

It is known as a digital nomad hub for a reason. There are a lot of different types of accommodation, a thriving cafe scene and loads of activities on your doorstep.

So how much did we spend? This is a breakdown of costs for the two of us, so if you’re a solo traveller some of these you could halve (dining out, groceries) but some you’ll need to keep as is (rent). You can see the rest of our Cost of Living series here. Let us know in the comments if this stacks up against how much you think it would cost.

Rent: $558 USD

Rent is always our biggest expense. We stay in mid-range accommodation as we don’t want to share a bathroom and we want a desk to work from. We stayed in a cute little homestay as well as some hotels.

We spent most of our time in Chiang Mai but did head to Pai for a week and travelled through Chiang Rai and Chiang Khong on our way to Laos too. Most places were simple hotel rooms just outside of the main centre of town.

If you do head to Laos, definitely stay at the Day Waterfront Hotel in Chiang Khong. Wonderful views across the river in Laos, exceptionally friendly staff and big rooms.

In Chiang Mai, there are a range of areas you can choose to stay. We decided on the Old Town as this meant we could walk around and explore. There are plenty of accommodation options to choose from within the Old City walls.

Dining Out: $482 USD

This was for the monthly cost for the two of us. This covered breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as the odd snack out.

We found one of our favourite Buddhist restaurants in town which became a vegan go-to spot for lunch. But there are so many great little hole-in-the-wall places to get the famous Khao Soi. Wander and see where your nose takes you.

We also checked out a lot of the more Western-style restaurants in the Old City. Check out a full rundown of our favourite places to eat here.

Spending Money: $426 USD

We spent a bit of money visiting historic sites in Northern Thailand. You can’t miss Chedi Luang in Chiang Mai. And you want to check out some of the neighbouring towns. Chiang Rai is packed with delights like the Blue and White Temples and is a must-visit stop in Northern Thailand.

We also visited some epic nature spots like the caves in Chiang Dao and the canyon in Pai.

We drank a lot of Changs (the local beer) too. These cost around 35 Thai Baht (1 USD) at most restaurants. Absolute bargain.

Transport: $133 USD

We did a lot of travel in Northern Thailand. We had a bike in Chiang Mai which we took up to Chiang Dao for a weekend away. We took a minibus to Pai and back, where we also got a bike.

We took a bus to Chiang Rai and then a local bus to Chiang Khong. We got tuk-tuks to help us get across the Thailand-Laos border.

We did all of this and more for just $133 USD.

*The local bus from Chiang Rai to Chiang Khong*

Groceries: $95

We didn’t spend a whole lot on groceries here as we didn’t stay in apartments with kitchens. So this includes a few snacks from 7/11 and fruit from the markets.

Bank fees, Subscriptions: $38

Bank fees are pesky things that you can’t escape from. But our Wise cards have saved us so much money. They have great exchange rates plus they are transparent about what fees you’re paying. If you’re travelling or working for clients who pay you in multiple currencies, get an account today.

Plus here we pay for our storage and TV subscriptions.

Mobile Phones: $18

We don’t use eSIMs. At this stage, we’re in countries long enough that it makes sense to purchase a local SIM card and purchase data that way.

If you’re hopping through quicker, then definitely look at a service like Drimsim. Full disclosure, we haven’t used them but I have tried Airalo and wouldn’t recommend them.

Final Note

Our goal budget while travelling is USD 1,800 for the two of us so we came in under this. But more importantly, we had a great time everywhere we stayed in Northern Thailand.

Chiang Mai is a digital nomad hub for a reason and it’s on our very short list of places to return to. It’s also the perfect spot to base yourself to visit the rest of the area. Chiang Dao and Pai were highlights for us.

A note of warning though, it is a hard place to be during the burning season. We arrived in mid-January and there were already a few days we were warned to not go outside. If you can, head there from October onwards. It’ll be glorious.

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