Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Best and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,198 in Best, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Best
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Best Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Best

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,198

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,198 per month in Best vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Best $2,198
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,057 per month in Best vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Best $3,057
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,915 per month in Best vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Best $3,915
Chiang Mai $1,979

Best costs about 135% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Best sits 62% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.20 €19.92

$2.24 ฿75.6

891.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.9 €77.1

$19.00 ฿641

351.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.39 €11.12

$5.55 ฿187

123.24%

Cappuccino

$3.50 €3.14

$1.67 ฿56.5

109.58%

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

$3.22 €2.89

$0.64 ฿21.53

403.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.31

$0.31 ฿10.30

729.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.68 €5.10

$2.36 ฿79.5

140.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.82 €4.33

$3.66 ฿124

31.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.95 ฿65.7

-42.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.44 ฿48.45

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.33 ฿45.01

60.90%

Eggs

$3.18 €2.85

$2.28 ฿77.0

39.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 €9.95

$16.45 ฿555

-32.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.14 €10.00

$2.78 ฿93.8

300.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.90 €13.37

$9.31 ฿314

60.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 €1.76

$2.35 ฿79.4

-16.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 €1.42

$0.97 ฿32.78

62.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.60 ฿53.9

7.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.12 €4.60

$1.50 ฿50.6

241.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.28 ฿43.10

-10.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.10 ฿37.17

6.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 €0.94

$0.71 ฿23.81

47.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$0.49 ฿16.36

59.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.25 €10.10

$4.14 ฿140

171.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.74 €5.15

$17.52 ฿591

-67.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.61 ฿54.5

-11.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.36

$2.78 ฿93.9

-5.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 €2.23

$0.87 ฿29.29

186.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$72.7 €65.2

$54.1 ฿1,825

34.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 €3.47

$1.16 ฿39.03

232.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.84 €2.55

$0.53 ฿17.79

435.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.53 €26.49

$2.42 ฿81.7

1120.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 €2.16

$1.45 ฿48.87

66.21%

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

$26.5K €23.8K

$21.1K ฿710.3K

25.73%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$26.9K ฿908.7K

43.74%

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

$184 €165

$62.2 ฿2,097

195.24%

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

$14.85 €13.33

$12.17 ฿410

22.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.38 €34.44

$20.12 ฿679

90.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.88 €36.68

$37.31 ฿1,259

9.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.29 €22.70

$3.77 ฿127

570.82%

Cinema Ticket

$13.55 €12.16

$6.49 ฿219

108.78%

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

$1,260 €1,131

$736 ฿24.8K

71.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,129 €4,602

$14.8K ฿498.0K

-65.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.1 €45.87

$53.4 ฿1,800

-4.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.16 €29.75

$24.64 ฿831

34.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 €65.0

$91.5 ฿3,086

-20.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.8 €51.8

$71.9 ฿2,426

-19.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,376

$482 ฿16.3K

218.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 €985

$309 ฿10.4K

255.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,785

$1,006 ฿33.9K

97.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,347 €1,209

$633 ฿21.4K

112.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,622 €5,045

$2,363 ฿79.7K

137.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,407 €3,954

$1,589 ฿53.6K

177.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,005 €3,593

$590 ฿19.9K

579.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

5.57

-36.45%

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

Last update for Best: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Best

$1.1K 50%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 71.9% $789

Eating Out

Best

$318 14.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 75.6% $240

Groceries & Markets

Best

$280 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 16.4% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Best

$237 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 60.1% $142

Getting Around

Best

$101 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 39% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Best

$97 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 12.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Best

$68 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 26% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,534 in Best versus $482 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 in Best are about 6.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Best versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $280 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Best

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:51 7:51 PM

01:51 1:51 AM

6 h ahead of Best

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,988

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Best Chiang Mai 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Best
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

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

Yes – Best is pricier by about 135%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,298 per month in Best and $1,403 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,534 in Best.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,198 in Best and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Chiang Mai about 57% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 26% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,198 in Best and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $2,198 in Best. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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