Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bensheim and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,036 in Bensheim, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Bensheim
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Bensheim Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bensheim

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,036

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,036 in Bensheim versus $935 in Chiang Mai.

Bensheim $2,036
Chiang Mai $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,068 in Bensheim versus $1,467 in Chiang Mai.

Bensheim $3,068
Chiang Mai $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,101 in Bensheim versus $1,999 in Chiang Mai.

Bensheim $4,101
Chiang Mai $1,999

Living in Bensheim is roughly 118% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bensheim is 51% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.62 €14.83

$2.13 ฿72.0

680.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.0 €71.3

$18.62 ฿628

329.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.63 €12.16

$5.60 ฿189

143.39%

Cappuccino

$3.98 €3.55

$1.66 ฿56.1

139.76%

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

$3.55 €3.17

$0.65 ฿21.82

446.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 €3.01

$0.30 ฿10.29

1026.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.16 €4.61

$2.32 ฿78.3

122.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 €3.78

$3.67 ฿124

15.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.02 ฿68.0

-28.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.41 ฿47.49

54.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.91 €3.49

$1.39 ฿46.94

181.29%

Eggs

$3.83 €3.41

$2.37 ฿79.9

61.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.59 €12.12

$16.52 ฿557

-17.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 €9.29

$2.67 ฿90.1

290.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.61 €23.74

$9.02 ฿304

195.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 €3.00

$2.40 ฿80.9

40.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.04 ฿35.12

114.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.66 ฿56.0

15.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 €3.27

$1.56 ฿52.6

135.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.24 ฿41.75

-2.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.09 ฿36.65

16.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$0.76 ฿25.70

101.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.51 ฿17.34

123.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.87 €8.81

$4.12 ฿139

139.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.45 €4.86

$17.93 ฿605

-69.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.62 ฿54.8

-31.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.82 ฿95.2

-45.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.41 €3.04

$0.93 ฿31.52

266.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.3 €61.8

$52.9 ฿1,784

31.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.13 €3.68

$1.18 ฿39.69

250.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 €1.97

$0.17 ฿5.78

1200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.56 €32.61

$1.81 ฿61.1

1919.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.47 ฿49.67

44.22%

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

$33.6K €30.0K

$21.0K ฿708.7K

59.99%

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

$38.9K €34.7K

$26.5K ฿894.4K

46.69%

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

$358 €319

$62.6 ฿2,110

471.61%

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

$26.78 €23.89

$11.60 ฿391

130.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.57 €44.22

$20.30 ฿685

144.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.58 €35.31

$37.88 ฿1,278

4.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.74 €23.85

$3.70 ฿125

622.70%

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 €12.62

$6.51 ฿220

117.20%

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

$534 €476

$727 ฿24.5K

-26.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K €16.3K

$16.6K ฿559.0K

10.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.3 €74.3

$53.5 ฿1,806

55.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.71 €30.96

$24.80 ฿836

39.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 €88.1

$90.4 ฿3,049

9.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €120

$72.0 ฿2,428

86.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$786 €701

$481 ฿16.2K

63.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$653 €582

$310 ฿10.5K

110.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,495 €1,334

$1,058 ฿35.7K

41.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,146 €1,022

$659 ฿22.2K

73.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,741 €4,229

$2,418 ฿81.5K

96.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,372 €3,008

$1,609 ฿54.3K

109.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,507 €4,020

$595 ฿20.1K

657.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.62

5.57

-35.01%

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

Last update for Bensheim: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bensheim

$653 32.1%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 52.5% $343

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bensheim

$434 21.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 78.2% $339

Groceries & Markets

Bensheim

$342 16.8%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 30.7% $105

Eating Out

Bensheim

$284 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 73% $207

Clothing & Footwear

Bensheim

$158 7.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 31.5% $50

Getting Around

Bensheim

$98 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 40.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Bensheim

$68 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 25% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $786 in Bensheim and $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bensheim pays about 7.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $80 in Bensheim vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $342 vs $237 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Bensheim

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:55 3:55 AM

09:55 9:55 AM

6 h ahead of Bensheim

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,124

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

Bensheim Chiang Mai 8,450 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bensheim
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,036 in Bensheim and $935 in Chiang Mai, so Chiang Mai is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Bensheim is about 7.6 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: $786 in Bensheim versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $534 in Bensheim versus $727 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Bensheim. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.

Safety-wise, Bensheim and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Bensheim. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.