Bangkok vs Chiang Mai
The short answer
Chiang Mai is the cheaper trip, by roughly 33% a day โ $25โ55 against $40โ80 mid-range per person. Both are at their best in NovโFeb, so one trip can take in both.
Side by side
Mid-range, per person, in US dollars. Both guides were costed the same way โ see how we work these out.
| ๐น๐ญ Bangkok | ๐น๐ญ Chiang Mai | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily budgetmid-range, per person | $40โ80 | $25โ55cheaper |
| Cheap meallocal staple | $1.50โ3 | $1โ2.50cheaper |
| Mid-range hotelper night | $50โ100 | $30โ70cheaper |
| Transit ridesingle trip | $0.50โ1.80 | $0.30โ1cheaper |
| Avg. monthly salarylocal, for context | โ $800 | โ $450 |
When to go
Filled months are the ones each guide recommends; hollow ones it warns off.
What you'd actually do
A few of each guide's picks, one per category before seconds โ the full lists are on the guides themselves.
๐น๐ญ Bangkok
Chaotic, friendly, and outrageously good value. Street food that outclasses most restaurants, a skytrain gliding over legendary traffic, and golden temples around every corner.
- Sky Bar (Lebua State Tower)$$$Nightlife
- Jay Fai$$$Restaurants
- Calypso Cabaret$$Theater & shows
- Teens of Thailand$$Nightlife
- Thipsamai$Restaurants
๐น๐ญ Chiang Mai
Northern Thailand's cultural heart โ a moated Old City of hundreds of temples, misty mountains, laptop-friendly cafรฉs, and a slower, cheaper pace than Bangkok's chaos.
- Zoe in Yellow$Nightlife
- Khao Soi Mae Sai$Restaurants
- North Gate Jazz Co-Op$Live music
- Spicy$$Nightlife
- Huen Phen$$Restaurants
Practicalities
| Bangkok | Chiang Mai | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Thai. English is common in tourist areas, hotels, and malls; sparse elsewhere. | Thai, with a distinct Northern Thai (Kham Mueang) dialect spoken locally. English is common in the Old City, Nimman, and cafรฉs; sparser outside them. |
| Tap water | Don't drink it โ bottled and filtered water everywhere, often free at hotels | Don't drink it โ bottled and filtered water is everywhere and cheap |
The same in both:
- Currency
- Thai baht (เธฟ). US$1 โ เธฟ35
- Time zone
- ICT (UTC+7)
- Power
- 220V; outlets take most two-pin plugs (A/C hybrids)
- Emergency
- 191 police ยท 1669 ambulance ยท 1155 tourist police (English)