Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bastia and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,828 in Bastia, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Bastia
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Bastia Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bastia

🇫🇷 France

$1,828

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,828 per month in Bastia vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bastia $1,828
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,813 per month in Bastia vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bastia $2,813
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,799 per month in Bastia vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bastia $3,799
Chiang Mai $1,914

Bastia costs about 95% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bastia sits 35% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.54 €14.71

$2.26 ฿75.4

631.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.8 €59.4

$19.18 ฿641

248.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.27 €11.81

$5.59 ฿187

137.39%

Cappuccino

$3.80 €3.38

$1.72 ฿57.6

120.93%

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

$3.18 €2.83

$0.64 ฿21.54

396.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.33 ฿11.18

451.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.28 €7.36

$2.36 ฿78.7

250.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.58 €4.96

$3.90 ฿130

43.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.05 ฿68.6

-37.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.40 ฿46.70

32.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.28 ฿42.89

100.78%

Eggs

$4.17 €3.71

$2.25 ฿75.3

85.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.18 €17.06

$16.94 ฿566

13.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.39 €11.02

$2.74 ฿91.6

352.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.79 €19.39

$9.36 ฿313

132.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 €2.71

$2.40 ฿80.3

27.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.01 ฿33.92

124.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.00 €2.67

$1.61 ฿53.9

86.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 €2.98

$1.52 ฿50.7

120.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.28 ฿42.90

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.11 ฿37.22

99.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.72 ฿24.09

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 €0.65

$0.52 ฿17.54

40.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.88 €12.35

$4.33 ฿145

220.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.71 €6.85

$17.73 ฿593

-56.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$1.63 ฿54.4

65.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$2.85 ฿95.3

19.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.87 €1.67

$0.85 ฿28.31

120.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.23 €42.01

$53.9 ฿1,801

-12.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 €4.47

$1.17 ฿39.18

329.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 €1.88

$0.57 ฿19.00

270.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.79 €30.06

$2.37 ฿79.2

1325.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.45 ฿48.32

49.66%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

68.89%

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

$34.9K €31.1K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

31.79%

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

$209 €185

$62.3 ฿2,083

234.53%

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

$15.96 €14.20

$12.27 ฿410

30.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.53 €28.94

$19.97 ฿668

62.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.50 €31.58

$37.91 ฿1,267

-6.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$13.73 €12.21

$6.71 ฿224

104.62%

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

$797 €709

$797 ฿26.6K

0.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K €9,476

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-28.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.4 €83.1

$53.3 ฿1,780

75.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.56 €36.97

$25.05 ฿837

65.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.6

$91.6 ฿3,062

12.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €120

$73.5 ฿2,455

83.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$764 €680

$464 ฿15.5K

64.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$618 €550

$305 ฿10.2K

103.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,373 €1,221

$915 ฿30.6K

50.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 €999

$552 ฿18.5K

103.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,939 €3,504

$1,912 ฿63.9K

106.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,014 €2,681

$1,438 ฿48.1K

109.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,580 €1,406

$595 ฿19.9K

165.49%

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 Bastia: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bastia

$618 33.8%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 50.7% $314

Groceries & Markets

Bastia

$361 19.8%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 34.1% $123

Eating Out

Bastia

$290 15.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 72.8% $211

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bastia

$257 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 63.2% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Bastia

$168 9.2%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 34.7% $58

Getting Around

Bastia

$70 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 12.8% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Bastia

$63 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 18.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $764 in Bastia 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 165% higher in Bastia, 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 $67.0 in Bastia versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $361 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Bastia

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:46 1:46 AM

06:46 6:46 AM

5 h ahead of Bastia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

48,768

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

Bastia Chiang Mai 8,570 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bastia
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

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

Bastia costs about 95% 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 $2,742 per month in Bastia 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 $67.0 in Bastia and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,828 in Bastia and $938 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 95%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Bastia at $1,828. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bastia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,828 in Bastia. 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, Bastia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.