Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alkmaar and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,394 in Alkmaar, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

115

Cost of Living Index in Alkmaar
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Alkmaar Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Alkmaar

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,394

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,394 in Alkmaar versus $925 in Chiang Mai.

Alkmaar $2,394
Chiang Mai $925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,536 in Alkmaar versus $1,414 in Chiang Mai.

Alkmaar $3,536
Chiang Mai $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,677 in Alkmaar versus $1,903 in Chiang Mai.

Alkmaar $4,677
Chiang Mai $1,903

Living in Alkmaar is roughly 159% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Alkmaar is 77% above, Chiang Mai is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.74 €26.45

$2.29 ฿76.5

1198.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.1 €78.3

$19.64 ฿656

348.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.67 €13.05

$5.61 ฿188

161.50%

Cappuccino

$3.96 €3.52

$1.66 ฿55.6

138.55%

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

$3.19 €2.83

$0.70 ฿23.40

355.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.20

$0.31 ฿10.24

696.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 €5.12

$2.41 ฿80.4

138.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.06

$3.71 ฿124

23.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.95 ฿65.3

-26.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 €2.10

$1.41 ฿47.03

68.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.45 €3.07

$1.31 ฿43.62

163.36%

Eggs

$4.90 €4.36

$2.18 ฿72.9

124.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.23 €12.66

$16.65 ฿556

-14.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.08 €13.41

$2.76 ฿92.2

446.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.85 €14.99

$9.11 ฿304

84.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.39 ฿80.0

6.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.03 ฿34.26

139.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.63 ฿54.4

12.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 €3.78

$1.50 ฿50.0

183.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.29 ฿43.13

50.39%

Onion (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.11 ฿37.03

93.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.13

$0.72 ฿24.08

77.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.71

$0.53 ฿17.59

50.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.78 €11.37

$4.31 ฿144

196.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.89 €6.13

$17.95 ฿600

-61.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.58 ฿52.9

-15.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.84 ฿95.0

-22.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 €1.96

$0.86 ฿28.86

155.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.9 €51.5

$53.3 ฿1,780

8.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 €2.44

$1.21 ฿40.29

127.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 €1.45

$0.57 ฿18.99

185.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.82 €22.07

$2.35 ฿78.6

956.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.44 ฿47.96

55.56%

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

$41.3K €36.7K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

99.05%

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

$38.6K €34.4K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

44.15%

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

$242 €216

$62.3 ฿2,083

288.72%

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

$20.63 €18.35

$12.11 ฿405

70.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.41 €41.28

$19.94 ฿666

132.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.05 €40.96

$37.07 ฿1,239

24.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.11 €5.44

$3.78 ฿126

61.64%

Cinema Ticket

$15.00 €13.34

$6.50 ฿217

130.77%

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

$726 €645

$793 ฿26.5K

-8.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,393 €2,128

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-83.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 €103

$53.7 ฿1,796

116.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.67 €41.51

$24.62 ฿823

89.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.3

$90.9 ฿3,036

20.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$71.1 ฿2,378

66.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$778 €692

$455 ฿15.2K

70.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,020 €907

$298 ฿9,954

242.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,855 €2,539

$908 ฿30.4K

214.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 €1,401

$554 ฿18.5K

184.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,974 €4,424

$1,931 ฿64.5K

157.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,169 €3,709

$1,445 ฿48.3K

188.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,317 €2,950

$591 ฿19.7K

461.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-28.19%

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

Last update for Alkmaar: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alkmaar

$1K 42.6%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 70.8% $722

Eating Out

Alkmaar

$390 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 79.8% $311

Groceries & Markets

Alkmaar

$346 14.5%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 31.9% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alkmaar

$309 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 69.5% $215

Clothing & Footwear

Alkmaar

$176 7.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 38.5% $68

Getting Around

Alkmaar

$78 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 21.7% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Alkmaar

$76 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 34.2% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $778 in Alkmaar and $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alkmaar pays 461% 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: $88.0 in Alkmaar vs $20.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $346 vs $235 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Alkmaar

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:57 1:57 PM

18:57 6:57 PM

5 h ahead of Alkmaar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,834

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Alkmaar Chiang Mai 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Alkmaar
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

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

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 159% lower than in Alkmaar. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 461% higher in Alkmaar, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $778 in Alkmaar versus $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 9% less than in Alkmaar. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $726 in Alkmaar versus $793 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $925 in Chiang Mai versus $2,394 in Alkmaar, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Alkmaar. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chiang Mai delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $925 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chiang Mai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Alkmaar 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.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 159% less than in Alkmaar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.