Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Birkirkara and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,024 in Birkirkara, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Birkirkara
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Birkirkara Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Birkirkara

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,024

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,024 per month in Birkirkara vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Birkirkara $2,024
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,003 per month in Birkirkara vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Birkirkara $3,003
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,981 per month in Birkirkara vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Birkirkara $3,981
Chiang Mai $1,914

Birkirkara costs about 116% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Birkirkara sits 50% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.96 €9.75

$2.26 ฿75.4

384.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.7 €69.1

$19.18 ฿641

305.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.64 €12.14

$5.59 ฿187

144.01%

Cappuccino

$3.07 €2.73

$1.72 ฿57.6

78.49%

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

$2.24 €2.00

$0.64 ฿21.54

250.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.42

$0.33 ฿11.18

384.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 €2.94

$2.36 ฿78.7

40.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.03

$3.90 ฿130

-12.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.05 ฿68.6

-37.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.40 ฿46.70

-8.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.60 €3.20

$1.28 ฿42.89

181.25%

Eggs

$3.38 €3.00

$2.25 ฿75.3

50.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.26 €11.79

$16.94 ฿566

-21.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.47 €11.09

$2.74 ฿91.6

355.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.25 €16.23

$9.36 ฿313

94.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.40 ฿80.3

9.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.01 ฿33.92

100.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 €1.90

$1.61 ฿53.9

32.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$1.52 ฿50.7

84.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.28 ฿42.90

7.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.11 ฿37.22

79.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.92 €1.70

$0.72 ฿24.09

166.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.52 ฿17.54

105.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.38 €5.67

$4.33 ฿145

47.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.01 €8.90

$17.73 ฿593

-43.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.63 ฿54.4

38.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.75 €3.33

$2.85 ฿95.3

31.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.20 €1.95

$0.85 ฿28.31

158.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.75 €24.68

$53.9 ฿1,801

-48.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.42 €4.82

$1.17 ฿39.18

363.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.88 €2.56

$0.57 ฿19.00

405.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.9 €63.1

$2.37 ฿79.2

2892.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.45 ฿48.32

0.69%

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

$32.3K €28.7K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

57.60%

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

$41.1K €36.5K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

54.96%

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

$116 €103

$62.3 ฿2,083

86.03%

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

$29.28 €26.05

$12.27 ฿410

138.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.12 €27.68

$19.97 ฿668

55.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.4 €58.2

$37.91 ฿1,267

72.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.71 €25.54

$3.76 ฿126

663.56%

Cinema Ticket

$13.57 €12.07

$6.71 ฿224

102.24%

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

$415 €369

$797 ฿26.6K

-47.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,689 €5,950

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-54.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$141 €126

$53.3 ฿1,780

165.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.4 €52.0

$25.05 ฿837

133.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.2

$91.6 ฿3,062

15.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 €143

$73.5 ฿2,455

118.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 €1,023

$464 ฿15.5K

147.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$959 €853

$305 ฿10.2K

214.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,698 €1,511

$915 ฿30.6K

85.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,432 €1,274

$552 ฿18.5K

159.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,906 €3,474

$1,912 ฿63.9K

104.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,684 €2,388

$1,438 ฿48.1K

86.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,847 €1,643

$595 ฿19.9K

210.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.79

5.57

-14.00%

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

Last update for Birkirkara: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Birkirkara

$959 47.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 68.2% $655

Groceries & Markets

Birkirkara

$326 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 26.9% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Birkirkara

$210 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 47.8% $100

Eating Out

Birkirkara

$204 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 61.3% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Birkirkara

$176 8.7%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 46.4% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Birkirkara

$93 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 44.5% $41

Getting Around

Birkirkara

$56 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 8.8% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,150 in Birkirkara versus $464 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 210% higher in Birkirkara, 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 $78.0 in Birkirkara versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Birkirkara

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:44 5:44 AM

10:44 10:44 AM

5 h ahead of Birkirkara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,247

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

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Birkirkara Chiang Mai 8,320 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Birkirkara
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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

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

Birkirkara costs about 116% 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 $3,037 per month in Birkirkara and $1,408 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.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Birkirkara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78.0 in Birkirkara and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Birkirkara at $2,024. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Birkirkara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,024 in Birkirkara. 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, Birkirkara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.