Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arta and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,348 in Arta, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Arta
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Arta Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Arta

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,348

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,348 per month in Arta vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arta $1,348
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,005 per month in Arta vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arta $2,005
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,661 per month in Arta vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arta $2,661
Chiang Mai $1,999

Arta costs about 44% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.28 €10.09

$2.13 ฿72.0

429.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.11 €39.44

$18.62 ฿628

136.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.98 €8.93

$5.60 ฿189

78.21%

Cappuccino

$4.22 €3.77

$1.66 ฿56.1

154.22%

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

$2.87 €2.57

$0.65 ฿21.83

341.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.30 ฿10.29

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.17 €4.62

$2.32 ฿78.4

122.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.02 €5.38

$3.67 ฿124

64.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.11

$2.02 ฿68.0

-38.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.41 ฿47.51

-18.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 €0.82

$1.39 ฿46.96

-33.81%

Eggs

$3.39 €3.03

$2.37 ฿79.9

43.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.68 €12.23

$16.52 ฿557

-17.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.05 €9.88

$2.67 ฿90.1

313.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.96 €9.80

$9.02 ฿304

21.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.00 €0.89

$2.40 ฿80.9

-58.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.04 ฿35.13

22.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.66 ฿56.0

-27.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 €0.89

$1.56 ฿52.6

-36.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.24 ฿41.76

-1.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.09 ฿36.66

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.76 ฿25.70

7.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.15 €0.14

$0.51 ฿17.35

-70.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.99 €4.46

$4.12 ฿139

21.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.42 €3.95

$17.93 ฿605

-75.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$1.62 ฿54.8

-47.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.82 ฿95.2

-20.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.93 ฿31.53

51.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.30 €44.09

$52.9 ฿1,785

-6.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.30 €3.85

$1.18 ฿39.70

264.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.17 ฿5.79

547.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.57 €14.82

$1.81 ฿61.1

815.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.88

$1.47 ฿49.69

42.86%

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

$28.2K €25.2K

$21.0K ฿708.9K

34.18%

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

$28.1K €25.2K

$26.5K ฿894.6K

6.15%

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

$211 €189

$62.6 ฿2,111

237.31%

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

$23.45 €20.97

$11.60 ฿392

102.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.99 €22.35

$20.30 ฿685

23.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 €46.61

$37.88 ฿1,278

37.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.62 €22.91

$3.70 ฿125

592.43%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 €9.48

$6.51 ฿220

62.83%

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

$467 €417

$727 ฿24.5K

-35.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 €8,084

$16.6K ฿559.2K

-45.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.3 €79.9

$53.5 ฿1,807

66.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.26 €25.27

$24.80 ฿837

13.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 €69.5

$90.4 ฿3,050

-14.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.5 €80.0

$72.0 ฿2,428

24.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 €442

$481 ฿16.2K

2.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$379 €339

$310 ฿10.5K

22.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 €667

$1,058 ฿35.7K

-29.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$599 €535

$659 ฿22.2K

-9.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,477 €2,215

$2,418 ฿81.6K

2.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,969 €1,761

$1,609 ฿54.3K

22.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$895 €800

$595 ฿20.1K

50.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.34

5.57

-4.13%

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

Last update for Arta: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arta

$379 28.1%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 18.2% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arta

$259 19.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 63.6% $165

Eating Out

Arta

$222 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 65.6% $146

Groceries & Markets

Arta

$221 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Arta

$128 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 15.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Arta

$73 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 30.6% $22

Getting Around

Arta

$65 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 9.4% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $494 in Arta versus $481 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 50% higher in Arta. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Arta versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $221 in Arta vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Arta wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Arta

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:09 5:09 AM

10:09 10:09 AM

5 h ahead of Arta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,435

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

On the map

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Between locations

Arta Chiang Mai 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Arta
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

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

Yes – Arta is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,022 per month in Arta and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $494 in Arta and $481 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $467 per month in Arta and $727 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 7% cheaper in Arta – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,348 in Arta and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,348 in Arta. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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