Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arcos de Valdevez and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,540 in Arcos de Valdevez, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Arcos de Valdevez
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Arcos de Valdevez Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Arcos de Valdevez

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,540

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,540 per month in Arcos de Valdevez vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arcos de Valdevez $1,540
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,260 per month in Arcos de Valdevez vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arcos de Valdevez $2,260
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,981 per month in Arcos de Valdevez vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arcos de Valdevez $2,981
Chiang Mai $1,903

Arcos de Valdevez costs about 66% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Arcos de Valdevez sits 14% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.04 €8.04

$2.29 ฿76.5

294.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.22 €37.56

$19.64 ฿656

114.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.20 €7.29

$5.61 ฿188

46.17%

Cappuccino

$1.82 €1.62

$1.66 ฿55.6

9.64%

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

$1.49 €1.33

$0.70 ฿23.40

112.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.01

$0.31 ฿10.24

267.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.41 ฿80.4

-6.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 €2.51

$3.71 ฿124

-23.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.95 ฿65.3

-41.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.41 ฿47.03

26.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.31 ฿43.62

7.63%

Eggs

$2.27 €2.02

$2.18 ฿72.9

4.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.69 €7.73

$16.65 ฿556

-47.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.11 €7.21

$2.76 ฿92.2

193.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.33 €12.75

$9.11 ฿304

57.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 €1.70

$2.39 ฿80.0

-19.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.03 ฿34.26

42.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 €1.56

$1.63 ฿54.4

7.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.50 ฿50.0

52.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.29 ฿43.13

42.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 €1.47

$1.11 ฿37.03

49.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 €0.91

$0.72 ฿24.08

41.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 €0.52

$0.53 ฿17.59

9.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 €5.11

$4.31 ฿144

33.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.42 €3.93

$17.95 ฿600

-75.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.58 ฿52.9

-28.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.84 ฿95.0

-39.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.86 ฿28.86

161.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.01 €37.37

$53.3 ฿1,780

-21.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 €4.01

$1.21 ฿40.29

272.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 €1.31

$0.57 ฿18.99

159.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.86 €18.55

$2.35 ฿78.6

787.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.44 ฿47.96

48.61%

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

$27.5K €24.5K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

32.65%

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

$37.9K €33.7K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

41.30%

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

$101 €90.0

$62.3 ฿2,083

62.23%

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

$16.68 €14.84

$12.11 ฿405

37.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.36 €29.67

$19.94 ฿666

67.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.30 €36.73

$37.07 ฿1,239

11.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 €14.60

$3.78 ฿126

334.13%

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 €7.83

$6.50 ฿217

35.38%

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

$458 €408

$793 ฿26.5K

-42.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,421 €5,711

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-56.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.2 €84.7

$53.7 ฿1,796

77.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.80 €31.85

$24.62 ฿823

45.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 €68.0

$90.9 ฿3,036

-15.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €90.4

$71.1 ฿2,378

42.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$961 €855

$455 ฿15.2K

111.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$753 €670

$298 ฿9,954

152.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,519 €1,351

$908 ฿30.4K

67.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 €1,061

$554 ฿18.5K

115.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,051 €2,714

$1,931 ฿64.5K

58.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,210 €1,966

$1,445 ฿48.3K

52.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,919 €1,707

$591 ฿19.7K

224.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.7

5.57

-33.57%

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

Last update for Arcos de Valdevez: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arcos de Valdevez

$753 48.9%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 60.5% $456

Groceries & Markets

Arcos de Valdevez

$228 14.8%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 3.1% $7.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arcos de Valdevez

$151 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 37.6% $57

Eating Out

Arcos de Valdevez

$146 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 46.2% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Arcos de Valdevez

$139 9%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 22.2% $31

Getting Around

Arcos de Valdevez

$63 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 3.4% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Arcos de Valdevez

$59 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 15% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $961 in Arcos de Valdevez versus $455 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 run about 225% higher in Arcos de Valdevez, 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 $42.00 in Arcos de Valdevez versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $228 in Arcos de Valdevez vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Arcos de Valdevez wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Arcos de Valdevez

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:02 9:02 PM

03:02 3:02 AM

6 h ahead of Arcos de Valdevez

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,720

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

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Between locations

Arcos de Valdevez Chiang Mai 9,980 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Arcos de Valdevez
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

Arcos de Valdevez vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Arcos de Valdevez costs about 66% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,310 per month in Arcos de Valdevez and $1,388 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $458 per month in Arcos de Valdevez and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Arcos de Valdevez – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Arcos de Valdevez at $1,540. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arcos de Valdevez it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,540 in Arcos de Valdevez. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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