Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Birgu and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,731 in Birgu, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Birgu
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Birgu Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Birgu

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,731

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,731 in Birgu versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Birgu $1,731
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,817 in Birgu versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Birgu $2,817
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,902 in Birgu versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Birgu $3,902
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Birgu is roughly 84% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Birgu is 28% above, Chiang Mai is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.77 €17.58

$2.26 ฿75.4

774.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.6 €77.9

$19.18 ฿641

356.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 €10.56

$5.59 ฿187

112.34%

Cappuccino

$2.64 €2.35

$1.72 ฿57.6

53.49%

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

$2.29 €2.04

$0.64 ฿21.54

257.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$0.33 ฿11.18

421.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 €3.98

$2.36 ฿78.7

89.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 €4.61

$3.90 ฿130

32.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$2.05 ฿68.6

-33.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.40 ฿46.70

-4.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 €3.74

$1.28 ฿42.89

228.91%

Eggs

$4.05 €3.60

$2.25 ฿75.3

80.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.31 €7.39

$16.94 ฿566

-50.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.59 €7.64

$2.74 ฿91.6

213.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.33 €13.63

$9.36 ฿313

63.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.46

$2.40 ฿80.3

15.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.01 ฿33.92

24.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.61 ฿53.9

75.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.77 €2.46

$1.52 ฿50.7

82.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.28 ฿42.90

71.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.11 ฿37.22

52.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 €2.05

$0.72 ฿24.09

219.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.77

$0.52 ฿17.54

67.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.82 €6.06

$4.33 ฿145

57.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.32 €7.40

$17.73 ฿593

-53.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.63 ฿54.4

-2.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 €2.17

$2.85 ฿95.3

-14.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.34 €2.08

$0.85 ฿28.31

175.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.80 €12.27

$53.9 ฿1,801

-74.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.42 €4.82

$1.17 ฿39.18

363.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.57 ฿19.00

91.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.03 €24.04

$2.37 ฿79.2

1040.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.45 ฿48.32

0.69%

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

$26.0K €23.2K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

27.17%

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

$32.7K €29.1K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

23.20%

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

$103 €91.3

$62.3 ฿2,083

64.74%

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

$25.53 €22.70

$12.27 ฿410

108.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.11 €29.45

$19.97 ฿668

65.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.55 €38.74

$37.91 ฿1,267

14.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$66.5 €59.2

$3.76 ฿126

1668.62%

Cinema Ticket

$9.89 €8.80

$6.71 ฿224

47.39%

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

$371 €330

$797 ฿26.6K

-53.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,023 €1,799

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-86.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.33 €22.53

$53.3 ฿1,780

-52.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.87 €30.13

$25.05 ฿837

35.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 €89.1

$91.6 ฿3,062

9.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 €97.4

$73.5 ฿2,455

49.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 €872

$464 ฿15.5K

111.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$798 €709

$305 ฿10.2K

161.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,785 €1,588

$915 ฿30.6K

95.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,365

$552 ฿18.5K

177.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,050 €3,603

$1,912 ฿63.9K

111.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,820 €2,509

$1,438 ฿48.1K

96.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,873 €1,666

$595 ฿19.9K

214.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

5.57

-47.94%

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

Last update for Birgu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Birgu

$798 46.1%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 61.8% $493

Groceries & Markets

Birgu

$279 16.2%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 14.8% $41

Eating Out

Birgu

$274 15.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 71.2% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Birgu

$161 9.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 41.4% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Birgu

$121 7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 9.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Birgu

$63 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 18.9% $12

Getting Around

Birgu

$34 2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 80.2% $27

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $980 in Birgu and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Birgu pays 215% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $88.0 in Birgu vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $279 vs $238 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Birgu

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:29 8:29 AM

13:29 1:29 PM

5 h ahead of Birgu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,500

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

Birgu Chiang Mai 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Birgu
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

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

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 84% lower than in Birgu. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 215% higher in Birgu, 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: $980 in Birgu versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Chiang Mai runs roughly 291% less than in Birgu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $371 in Birgu versus $797 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,731 in Birgu, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Birgu. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chiang Mai delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $938 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chiang Mai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Birgu and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 84% less than in Birgu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.