Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alcabideche and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,607 in Alcabideche, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Alcabideche
🇵🇹 Portugal
$1,607
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$938
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alcabideche and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Alcabideche and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,607 in Alcabideche versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

  • Alcabideche $1,607
  • Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,379 in Alcabideche versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

  • Alcabideche $2,379
  • Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,152 in Alcabideche versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

  • Alcabideche $3,152
  • Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Alcabideche is roughly 71% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alcabideche is 19% above, Chiang Mai is 30% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Alcabideche
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.30 €10.94
$2.26 ฿75.4
444.25%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$54.9 €48.87
$19.18 ฿641
186.44%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.18 €8.16
$5.59 ฿187
64.22%
Cappuccino
$2.46 €2.19
$1.72 ฿57.6
43.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.49 €1.33
$0.64 ฿21.54
132.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.18 €1.05
$0.33 ฿11.18
257.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.77 €2.47
$2.36 ฿78.7
17.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.41 €3.03
$3.90 ฿130
-12.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Alcabideche
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.08 €0.96
$2.05 ฿68.6
-47.32%
White Bread (500g)
$1.26 €1.12
$1.40 ฿46.70
-10.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.58 €1.41
$1.28 ฿42.89
23.44%
Eggs
$3.47 €3.09
$2.25 ฿75.3
54.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.00 €8.00
$16.94 ฿566
-46.87%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.52 €6.69
$2.74 ฿91.6
174.45%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.91 €13.26
$9.36 ฿313
59.29%
Apples (1kg)
$2.99 €2.66
$2.40 ฿80.3
24.58%
Banana (1kg)
$1.25 €1.11
$1.01 ฿33.92
23.76%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.77 €1.58
$1.61 ฿53.9
9.94%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.28 €2.03
$1.52 ฿50.7
50.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.96 €1.74
$1.28 ฿42.90
53.12%
Onion (1kg)
$1.69 €1.50
$1.11 ฿37.22
52.25%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.55 €1.38
$0.72 ฿24.09
115.28%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.63 €0.56
$0.52 ฿17.54
21.15%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.85 €5.20
$4.33 ฿145
35.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.38 €3.01
$17.73 ฿593
-80.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.92 €0.82
$1.63 ฿54.4
-43.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.39 €2.12
$2.85 ฿95.3
-16.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Alcabideche
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.40 €2.13
$0.85 ฿28.31
182.35%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$39.26 €34.92
$53.9 ฿1,801
-27.16%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.72 €3.31
$1.17 ฿39.18
217.95%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.77 €0.68
$0.57 ฿19.00
35.09%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.97 €15.09
$2.37 ฿79.2
616.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.09 €1.86
$1.45 ฿48.32
44.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.0K €29.3K
$20.5K ฿684.3K
61.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.2K €34.0K
$26.5K ฿886.1K
44.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Alcabideche
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$97.8 €87.0
$62.3 ฿2,083
56.83%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.89 €18.59
$12.27 ฿410
70.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$34.34 €30.55
$19.97 ฿668
71.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Alcabideche
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$40.18 €35.74
$37.91 ฿1,267
5.99%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.90 €14.14
$3.76 ฿126
322.87%
Cinema Ticket
$7.70 €6.85
$6.71 ฿224
14.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Alcabideche
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$586 €521
$797 ฿26.6K
-26.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.1K €9,831
$14.8K ฿495.7K
-25.48%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Alcabideche
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$112 €99.4
$53.3 ฿1,780
109.75%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.30 €29.62
$25.05 ฿837
32.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.4 €74.2
$91.6 ฿3,062
-8.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 €93.5
$73.5 ฿2,455
43.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Alcabideche
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$956 €850
$464 ฿15.5K
105.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$772 €687
$305 ฿10.2K
153.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,513 €1,346
$915 ฿30.6K
65.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,188 €1,057
$552 ฿18.5K
115.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,032 €2,697
$1,912 ฿63.9K
58.56%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,221 €1,975
$1,438 ฿48.1K
54.40%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Alcabideche
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,069 €951
$595 ฿19.9K
79.54%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.54
5.57
-36.45%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Alcabideche: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Alcabideche
$772
Chiang Mai
$305 60.5% $467
Groceries & Markets
Alcabideche
$233
Chiang Mai
$238 2.2% $5.1
Eating Out
Alcabideche
$187
Chiang Mai
$79 57.7% $108
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Alcabideche
$153
Chiang Mai
$95 38.2% $58
Clothing & Footwear
Alcabideche
$150
Chiang Mai
$110 27% $41
Getting Around
Alcabideche
$56
Chiang Mai
$61 8.7% $4.9
Sport & Entertainment
Alcabideche
$56
Chiang Mai
$51 7.6% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $956 in Alcabideche and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alcabideche pays 80% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $55.0 in Alcabideche vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $233 vs $238, with Alcabideche cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Alcabideche
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
04:25 4:25 AM
10:25 10:25 AM
6 h ahead of Alcabideche
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
44,177
127,240
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Alcabideche Chiang Mai 10,210 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Alcabideche
  • Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Alcabideche vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Alcabideche or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 71% lower than in Alcabideche. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Alcabideche or in Chiang Mai?
Average pay runs 80% higher in Alcabideche, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Alcabideche compared to Chiang Mai?
Rent for a central apartment: $956 in Alcabideche versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Alcabideche compared to Chiang Mai?
All in, you'll spend $1,607 per month in Alcabideche versus $938 in Chiang Mai – a 71% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How expensive is transport in Alcabideche compared to Chiang Mai?
A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 37% less than in Alcabideche. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Alcabideche or in Chiang Mai?
At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,607 in Alcabideche, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Alcabideche. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Alcabideche or Chiang Mai?
Both work as nomad bases, but Chiang Mai delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $938 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chiang Mai hard to pass up.
How safe is Alcabideche compared to Chiang Mai?
Safety-wise, Alcabideche and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 71% less than in Alcabideche. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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