The verdict
Chiang Mai is the cheaper base — food, rooms and massages all run below Bangkok, and the gap widens the longer you stay.
Bangkok — typical day
$62
Chiang Mai — typical day
$64
Across 10 identical items, Chiang Mai comes out roughly 20% cheaper on local prices.
Choose Bangkok if you want nightlife, rooftop bars, better transport links and the widest food range in Asia.
Choose Chiang Mai if you want lower monthly costs, cooler weather and a slower, more walkable pace.
Street food is close to identical in price; the difference shows up in accommodation, sit-down restaurants and anything aimed at tourists. Bangkok's premium sits in Sukhumvit and around the Grand Palace, where prices can be triple what a Thai pays two streets away.
Local prices — what residents pay, not the tourist rate.
Cross-currency comparisons converted via USD at current rates.
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Try SpendSanity For FreeChiang Mai is the cheaper base — food, rooms and massages all run below Bangkok, and the gap widens the longer you stay.
Choose Bangkok if you want nightlife, rooftop bars, better transport links and the widest food range in Asia. Choose Chiang Mai if you want lower monthly costs, cooler weather and a slower, more walkable pace.
Street food is close to identical in price; the difference shows up in accommodation, sit-down restaurants and anything aimed at tourists. Bangkok's premium sits in Sukhumvit and around the Grand Palace, where prices can be triple what a Thai pays two streets away.
Refuse any tuk-tuk offering a fixed 'temple tour' — those run on commission stops.