Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alges and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,004 in Alges, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Alges
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Alges Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Alges

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,004

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alges 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 Alges and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,004 per month in Alges vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Alges $2,004
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,863 per month in Alges vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Alges $2,863
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,722 per month in Alges vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Alges $3,722
Chiang Mai $1,979

Alges costs about 114% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Alges sits 47% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.79 €14.14

$2.24 ฿75.6

604.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 €49.51

$19.00 ฿641

190.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 €8.72

$5.55 ฿187

75.50%

Cappuccino

$2.60 €2.33

$1.67 ฿56.5

55.69%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 €2.10

$0.64 ฿21.54

265.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.99

$0.31 ฿10.31

616.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 €2.96

$2.36 ฿79.5

40.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.88

$3.66 ฿124

48.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.95 ฿65.7

-46.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 €1.74

$1.44 ฿48.46

34.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 €1.93

$1.33 ฿45.03

61.65%

Eggs

$3.50 €3.13

$2.28 ฿77.1

53.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.06 €9.90

$16.45 ฿555

-32.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.08 €6.34

$2.78 ฿93.9

154.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 €13.55

$9.31 ฿314

62.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 €2.57

$2.35 ฿79.4

22.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.97 ฿32.79

42.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.60 ฿53.9

15.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.50 ฿50.6

49.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 €1.43

$1.28 ฿43.11

24.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.11 €1.89

$1.10 ฿37.18

91.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.38

$0.71 ฿23.82

118.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$0.49 ฿16.36

73.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.69 €5.10

$4.14 ฿140

37.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 €4.48

$17.52 ฿591

-71.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.61 ฿54.5

-26.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 €2.77

$2.78 ฿93.9

11.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 €2.02

$0.87 ฿29.30

158.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.57

$54.1 ฿1,825

-18.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 €4.11

$1.16 ฿39.04

295.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 €0.82

$0.53 ฿17.80

71.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.55 €15.72

$2.42 ฿81.7

625.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.45 ฿48.88

44.14%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$33.6K €30.1K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

59.38%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$38.6K €34.5K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

43.11%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$133 €119

$62.2 ฿2,098

113.21%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$24.97 €22.36

$12.17 ฿411

105.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.0 €49.21

$20.12 ฿679

173.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.60 €39.04

$37.31 ฿1,259

16.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.23 €15.43

$3.77 ฿127

357.03%

Cinema Ticket

$7.42 €6.64

$6.49 ฿219

14.33%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$591 €529

$736 ฿24.8K

-19.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K €16.8K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

27.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.1 €69.1

$53.4 ฿1,801

44.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.93 €30.39

$24.64 ฿831

37.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.4 €79.1

$91.5 ฿3,087

-3.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.5 €85.5

$71.9 ฿2,427

32.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,211 €1,085

$482 ฿16.3K

151.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 €941

$309 ฿10.4K

240.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,052 €1,837

$1,006 ฿33.9K

103.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 €1,411

$633 ฿21.4K

148.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,135 €2,808

$2,363 ฿79.7K

32.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,271 €2,034

$1,589 ฿53.6K

42.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,221 €1,094

$590 ฿19.9K

107.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

5.57

-34.11%

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

Last update for Alges: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Alges

$1.1K 52.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 70.6% $742

Groceries & Markets

Alges

$255 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 8.1% $21

Eating Out

Alges

$232 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 66.6% $155

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alges

$212 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 55.5% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Alges

$133 6.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 18.1% $24

Getting Around

Alges

$62 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 1.6% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Alges

$58 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 13.9% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,211 in Alges versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Alges are about 2.1 times higher, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Alges versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Alges

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:12 11:12 PM

06:12 6:12 AM

7 h ahead of Alges

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,327

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Alges Chiang Mai 10,200 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Alges
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

Alges vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,004 in Alges, $936 in Chiang Mai – Chiang Mai comes out roughly 53% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,006 per month in Alges and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,211 in Alges.

Kindergarten costs $591 per month in Alges and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Alges, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,004 in Alges and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $2,004 in Alges. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Alges makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.