Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bialystok and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,461 in Bialystok, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Bialystok
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Bialystok Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bialystok

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,461

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,461 per month in Bialystok vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bialystok $1,461
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,069 per month in Bialystok vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bialystok $2,069
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,676 per month in Bialystok vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bialystok $2,676
Chiang Mai $1,903

Bialystok costs about 58% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bialystok sits 8% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.91 zł 38.49

$2.29 ฿76.5

332.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.57 zł 177

$19.64 ฿656

132.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.85 zł 34.37

$5.61 ฿188

57.75%

Cappuccino

$3.55 zł 13.78

$1.66 ฿55.6

113.86%

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

$1.90 zł 7.40

$0.70 ฿23.40

171.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 zł 5.87

$0.31 ฿10.24

387.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.57 zł 13.88

$2.41 ฿80.4

48.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 zł 11.75

$3.71 ฿124

-18.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 zł 4.14

$1.95 ฿65.3

-45.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 zł 3.88

$1.41 ฿47.03

-29.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 zł 8.65

$1.31 ฿43.62

70.23%

Eggs

$3.76 zł 14.59

$2.18 ฿72.9

72.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 zł 36.49

$16.65 ฿556

-43.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.62 zł 21.84

$2.76 ฿92.2

103.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.23 zł 43.61

$9.11 ฿304

23.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 zł 4.83

$2.39 ฿80.0

-48.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 zł 6.84

$1.03 ฿34.26

70.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 zł 6.19

$1.63 ฿54.4

-2.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 zł 7.90

$1.50 ฿50.0

35.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 zł 4.10

$1.29 ฿43.13

-17.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 zł 4.61

$1.11 ฿37.03

7.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 zł 4.55

$0.72 ฿24.08

62.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 zł 2.35

$0.53 ฿17.59

13.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 zł 19.75

$4.31 ฿144

17.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.12 zł 23.78

$17.95 ฿600

-65.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 zł 4.73

$1.58 ฿52.9

-22.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 zł 5.97

$2.84 ฿95.0

-45.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 zł 4.16

$0.86 ฿28.86

24.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.47 zł 130

$53.3 ฿1,780

-37.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 zł 8.19

$1.21 ฿40.29

74.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 zł 2.55

$0.57 ฿18.99

15.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.02 zł 50.6

$2.35 ฿78.6

454.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 zł 6.29

$1.44 ฿47.96

12.50%

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

$30.8K zł 119.8K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

48.70%

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

$28.8K zł 112.0K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

7.58%

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

$299 zł 1,164

$62.3 ฿2,083

380.46%

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

$8.25 zł 32.05

$12.11 ฿405

-31.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.22 zł 70.8

$19.94 ฿666

-8.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.41 zł 161

$37.07 ฿1,239

11.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.67 zł 108

$3.78 ฿126

632.01%

Cinema Ticket

$8.25 zł 32.07

$6.50 ฿217

26.92%

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

$351 zł 1,363

$793 ฿26.5K

-55.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,337 zł 16.9K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-70.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.1 zł 381

$53.7 ฿1,796

82.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.44 zł 142

$24.62 ฿823

48.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.1 zł 338

$90.9 ฿3,036

-4.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 zł 343

$71.1 ฿2,378

24.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$544 zł 2,113

$455 ฿15.2K

19.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$502 zł 1,951

$298 ฿9,954

68.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 zł 3,194

$908 ฿30.4K

-9.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 zł 2,786

$554 ฿18.5K

29.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,669 zł 10.4K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

38.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,324 zł 9,030

$1,445 ฿48.3K

60.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,447 zł 5,622

$591 ฿19.7K

144.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.07

5.57

26.93%

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

Last update for Bialystok: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bialystok

$502 34.4%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 40.7% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bialystok

$326 22.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 71% $232

Groceries & Markets

Bialystok

$207 14.2%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 13.9% $29

Eating Out

Bialystok

$186 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 57.7% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Bialystok

$140 9.6%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 22.5% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Bialystok

$58 4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 13.6% $7.9

Getting Around

Bialystok

$43 3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 40.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $544 in Bialystok 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 145% higher in Bialystok, 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 $46.00 in Bialystok versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $207 in Bialystok vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Bialystok wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Bialystok

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:31 8:31 PM

01:31 1:31 AM

5 h ahead of Bialystok

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

297,554

127,240

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bialystok Chiang Mai 7,410 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bialystok
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

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

Bialystok costs about 58% 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 $2,192 per month in Bialystok 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.

Kindergarten costs $351 per month in Bialystok and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Bialystok – 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 Bialystok at $1,461. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bialystok it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,461 in Bialystok. 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, Bialystok makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.