Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arklow and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,624 in Arklow, rent and utilities included – about $20,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Arklow
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Arklow Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Arklow

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,624

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,624 per month in Arklow vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arklow $2,624
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,680 per month in Arklow vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arklow $3,680
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,737 per month in Arklow vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arklow $4,737
Chiang Mai $1,914

Arklow costs about 180% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Arklow sits 94% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.34 €19.87

$2.26 ฿75.4

888.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 €79.6

$19.18 ฿641

366.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 €10.01

$5.59 ฿187

101.25%

Cappuccino

$4.12 €3.67

$1.72 ฿57.6

139.53%

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

$2.93 €2.60

$0.64 ฿21.54

357.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.33 ฿11.18

581.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 €4.86

$2.36 ฿78.7

131.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 €4.58

$3.90 ฿130

32.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.50

$2.05 ฿68.6

-17.56%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.40 ฿46.70

59.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.28 ฿42.89

48.44%

Eggs

$4.64 €4.12

$2.25 ฿75.3

106.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.19 €12.62

$16.94 ฿566

-16.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.17 €11.71

$2.74 ฿91.6

380.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.67 €14.83

$9.36 ฿313

78.10%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$2.40 ฿80.3

35.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$1.01 ฿33.92

187.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.42 €3.04

$1.61 ฿53.9

112.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.70 €4.18

$1.52 ฿50.7

209.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.28 ฿42.90

84.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$1.11 ฿37.22

64.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.72 ฿24.09

101.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 €1.91

$0.52 ฿17.54

313.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.31 €18.07

$4.33 ฿145

369.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.59 €12.09

$17.73 ฿593

-23.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.08 €3.63

$1.63 ฿54.4

150.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 €3.21

$2.85 ฿95.3

26.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.40 €2.14

$0.85 ฿28.31

182.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 €4.61

$1.17 ฿39.18

342.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.57 ฿19.00

170.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.30 €29.62

$2.37 ฿79.2

1305.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.45 ฿48.32

46.21%

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

$38.8K €34.5K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

89.44%

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

$37.3K €33.2K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

40.70%

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

$240 €213

$62.3 ฿2,083

284.89%

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

$22.10 €19.65

$12.27 ฿410

80.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.2 €49.08

$19.97 ฿668

176.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.5 €51.2

$37.91 ฿1,267

51.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$13.58 €12.08

$6.71 ฿224

102.38%

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

$1,066 €948

$797 ฿26.6K

33.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,404 €4,807

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-63.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.9 €83.5

$53.3 ฿1,780

76.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.32 €38.53

$25.05 ฿837

72.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.6

$91.6 ฿3,062

16.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 €105

$73.5 ฿2,455

60.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,566 €1,393

$464 ฿15.5K

237.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,325 €1,178

$305 ฿10.2K

334.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,857 €2,541

$915 ฿30.6K

212.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,819 €1,618

$552 ฿18.5K

229.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,863 €4,325

$595 ฿19.9K

717.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.14

5.57

-25.67%

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

Last update for Arklow: 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

Arklow

$1.3K 50.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 77% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Arklow

$392 14.9%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 39.3% $154

Eating Out

Arklow

$320 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 75.3% $241

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arklow

$317 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 70.2% $223

Clothing & Footwear

Arklow

$163 6.2%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 32.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Arklow

$85 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 39.4% $33

Getting Around

Arklow

$23 * 0.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 172% $39

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,566 in Arklow versus $464 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 717% higher in Arklow, 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 $89.0 in Arklow versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Arklow

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:32 12:32 PM

18:32 6:32 PM

6 h ahead of Arklow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,399

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

Arklow Chiang Mai 9,320 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Arklow
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,624 in Arklow, $938 in Chiang Mai – roughly 180% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,936 per month in Arklow and $1,408 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89.0 in Arklow and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 65% more in Arklow, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Arklow at $2,624. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arklow it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $938 in Chiang Mai to $2,624 in Arklow. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Arklow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.