Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balbriggan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,676 in Balbriggan, rent and utilities included – about $20,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Balbriggan
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Balbriggan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Balbriggan

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,676

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,676 in Balbriggan versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Balbriggan $2,676
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,956 in Balbriggan versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Balbriggan $3,956
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,236 in Balbriggan versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Balbriggan $5,236
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Balbriggan is roughly 186% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Balbriggan is 97% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.68 €20.33

$2.24 ฿75.6

912.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.7 €88.5

$19.00 ฿641

419.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.13

$5.55 ฿187

143.78%

Cappuccino

$5.01 €4.49

$1.67 ฿56.5

200.00%

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

$2.97 €2.66

$0.64 ฿21.55

364.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.02

$0.31 ฿10.31

625.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.60 €6.81

$2.36 ฿79.6

222.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.95 €7.12

$3.66 ฿124

117.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.95 ฿65.8

-13.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €2.05

$1.44 ฿48.48

58.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 €1.85

$1.33 ฿45.04

54.89%

Eggs

$3.16 €2.83

$2.28 ฿77.1

38.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.05 €9.01

$16.45 ฿555

-38.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.89 €11.55

$2.78 ฿93.9

363.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.23 €14.54

$9.31 ฿314

74.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.48

$2.35 ฿79.4

17.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.05

$0.97 ฿32.80

135.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.44

$1.60 ฿53.9

70.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.09 €4.56

$1.50 ฿50.6

239.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.28 ฿43.12

49.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.10 ฿37.19

40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.71 ฿23.82

92.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.88

$0.49 ฿16.37

326.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.36 €19.14

$4.14 ฿140

415.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.37 €11.98

$17.52 ฿591

-23.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 €2.51

$1.61 ฿54.5

73.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.21

$2.78 ฿94.0

-11.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 €2.21

$0.87 ฿29.31

183.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$133 €119

$54.1 ฿1,826

146.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 €4.51

$1.16 ฿39.06

333.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 €1.38

$0.53 ฿17.80

190.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.74 €33.82

$2.42 ฿81.8

1459.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.86

$1.45 ฿48.90

43.45%

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

$39.4K €35.3K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

87.14%

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

$38.1K €34.1K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

41.29%

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

$171 €153

$62.2 ฿2,098

174.67%

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

$16.82 €15.07

$12.17 ฿411

38.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.91 €40.25

$20.12 ฿679

123.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 €47.72

$37.31 ฿1,259

42.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$13.27 €11.89

$6.49 ฿219

104.47%

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

$1,259 €1,128

$736 ฿24.8K

71.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,150 €4,615

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-65.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €98.1

$53.4 ฿1,801

105.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.97 €25.06

$24.64 ฿831

13.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.4 €55.0

$91.5 ฿3,087

-32.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €118

$71.9 ฿2,428

83.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 €1,392

$482 ฿16.3K

222.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 €1,209

$309 ฿10.4K

336.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 €2,269

$1,006 ฿33.9K

151.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,159 €1,935

$633 ฿21.4K

240.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,612 €3,237

$1,589 ฿53.6K

127.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,292 €2,054

$590 ฿19.9K

288.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

5.57

-31.60%

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

Last update for Balbriggan: 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

Balbriggan

$1.3K 50.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 77.1% $1K

Eating Out

Balbriggan

$357 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 78.3% $279

Groceries & Markets

Balbriggan

$353 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 33.6% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balbriggan

$232 8.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 59.4% $138

Getting Around

Balbriggan

$156 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 60.6% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Balbriggan

$149 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 27% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Balbriggan

$80 3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 37% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,553 in Balbriggan and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Balbriggan pays about 3.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $99 in Balbriggan vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $353 vs $234 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Balbriggan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:24 2:24 AM

09:24 9:24 AM

7 h ahead of Balbriggan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,322

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

Balbriggan Chiang Mai 9,290 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Balbriggan
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,676 in Balbriggan and $936 in Chiang Mai, so Chiang Mai is about 65% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Balbriggan is about 3.9 times higher, 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: $1,553 in Balbriggan versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Balbriggan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $99 in Balbriggan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Balbriggan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.