Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Békéscsaba and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,125 in Békéscsaba, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Békéscsaba
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Békéscsaba Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Békéscsaba

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,125

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,125 per month in Békéscsaba vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Békéscsaba $1,125
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,647 per month in Békéscsaba vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Békéscsaba $1,647
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,169 per month in Békéscsaba vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Békéscsaba $2,169
Chiang Mai $1,903

Békéscsaba costs about 22% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Békéscsaba and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Békéscsaba 17% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.00 Ft 2,906

$2.29 ฿76.5

293.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.36 Ft 14.7K

$19.64 ฿656

130.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.51 Ft 1,779

$5.61 ฿188

-1.78%

Cappuccino

$2.22 Ft 718

$1.66 ฿55.6

33.73%

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

$1.38 Ft 446

$0.70 ฿23.40

97.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 Ft 286

$0.31 ฿10.24

183.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.10 Ft 354

$2.41 ฿80.4

-54.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 Ft 395

$3.71 ฿124

-67.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 Ft 387

$1.95 ฿65.3

-38.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 Ft 475

$1.41 ฿47.03

4.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 Ft 706

$1.31 ฿43.62

67.18%

Eggs

$3.23 Ft 1,044

$2.18 ฿72.9

48.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.88 Ft 3,193

$16.65 ฿556

-40.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 Ft 2,182

$2.76 ฿92.2

144.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.52 Ft 4,692

$9.11 ฿304

59.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 Ft 628

$2.39 ฿80.0

-18.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 659

$1.03 ฿34.26

98.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 Ft 509

$1.63 ฿54.4

-3.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 Ft 924

$1.50 ฿50.0

90.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 323

$1.29 ฿43.13

-22.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 Ft 326

$1.11 ฿37.03

-9.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 Ft 344

$0.72 ฿24.08

47.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 Ft 155

$0.53 ฿17.59

-9.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.97 Ft 2,575

$4.31 ฿144

84.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.08 Ft 995

$17.95 ฿600

-82.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 Ft 338

$1.58 ฿52.9

-33.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 Ft 690

$2.84 ฿95.0

-25.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 Ft 410

$0.86 ฿28.86

47.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 Ft 883

$1.21 ฿40.29

125.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 431

$0.57 ฿18.99

133.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.28 Ft 2,028

$2.35 ฿78.6

167.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 Ft 599

$1.44 ฿47.96

28.47%

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

$28.7K Ft 9.3M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

38.32%

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

$34.6K Ft 11.2M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

29.09%

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

$174 Ft 56.1K

$62.3 ฿2,083

178.49%

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

$23.76 Ft 7,675

$12.11 ฿405

96.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.51 Ft 6,949

$19.94 ฿666

7.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.92 Ft 11.0K

$37.07 ฿1,239

-8.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 Ft 3,058

$6.50 ฿217

45.69%

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

$548 Ft 176.9K

$793 ฿26.5K

-30.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K Ft 5.5M

$14.8K ฿494.9K

15.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.1 Ft 32.0K

$53.7 ฿1,796

84.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.41 Ft 10.1K

$24.62 ฿823

27.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.5 Ft 19.9K

$90.9 ฿3,036

-32.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 Ft 38.2K

$71.1 ฿2,378

66.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$425 Ft 137.5K

$455 ฿15.2K

-6.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 Ft 109.3K

$298 ฿9,954

13.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$557 Ft 179.9K

$908 ฿30.4K

-38.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 Ft 140.6K

$554 ฿18.5K

-21.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,526 Ft 493.1K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-20.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,197 Ft 386.7K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-17.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,398 Ft 451.8K

$591 ฿19.7K

136.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.57

15.80%

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

Last update for Békéscsaba: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Békéscsaba

$338 30.1%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 12% $41

Groceries & Markets

Békéscsaba

$229 20.3%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 3% $6.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Békéscsaba

$219 19.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 56.9% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Békéscsaba

$140 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 22.5% $31

Eating Out

Békéscsaba

$132 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 40.5% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Békéscsaba

$53 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 5.3% $2.8

Getting Around

Békéscsaba

$14 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 320% $46

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $425 in Békéscsaba 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 137% higher in Békéscsaba, 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 $45.00 in Békéscsaba versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $229 in Békéscsaba vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Békéscsaba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Békéscsaba

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:57 3:57 PM

20:57 8:57 PM

5 h ahead of Békéscsaba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,460

127,240

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Békéscsaba Chiang Mai 7,590 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Békéscsaba
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

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

Békéscsaba costs about 22% 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 $1,687 per month in Békéscsaba 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Békéscsaba and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Békéscsaba – 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 Békéscsaba at $1,125. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Békéscsaba it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,125 in Békéscsaba. 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, Békéscsaba makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.