Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bordeaux and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,079 in Bordeaux, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Bordeaux
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Bordeaux Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bordeaux

🇫🇷 France

$2,079

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,079 per month in Bordeaux vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bordeaux $2,079
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,202 per month in Bordeaux vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bordeaux $3,202
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,324 per month in Bordeaux vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bordeaux $4,324
Chiang Mai $1,914

Bordeaux costs about 122% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bordeaux sits 54% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.47 €18.21

$2.26 ฿75.4

805.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 €70.1

$19.18 ฿641

311.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.15 €12.59

$5.59 ฿187

153.13%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.57

$1.72 ฿57.6

133.72%

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

$2.89 €2.57

$0.64 ฿21.54

351.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.33 ฿11.18

336.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.75 €6.90

$2.36 ฿78.7

228.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.75 €6.00

$3.90 ฿130

73.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$2.05 ฿68.6

-42.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.40 ฿46.70

37.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 €2.72

$1.28 ฿42.89

139.06%

Eggs

$3.48 €3.09

$2.25 ฿75.3

54.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.91 €12.37

$16.94 ฿566

-17.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.27 €14.47

$2.74 ฿91.6

493.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.22 €17.99

$9.36 ฿313

116.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 €2.87

$2.40 ฿80.3

34.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.01 ฿33.92

114.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 €3.12

$1.61 ฿53.9

118.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.42 €3.93

$1.52 ฿50.7

190.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.28 ฿42.90

77.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$1.11 ฿37.22

161.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$0.72 ฿24.09

83.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 €0.50

$0.52 ฿17.54

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.10 €11.65

$4.33 ฿145

202.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.94 €8.84

$17.73 ฿593

-43.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.05 €3.60

$1.63 ฿54.4

148.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 €3.69

$2.85 ฿95.3

45.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.18 €1.94

$0.85 ฿28.31

156.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.01 €41.81

$53.9 ฿1,801

-12.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.17 ฿39.18

95.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 €1.62

$0.57 ฿19.00

219.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.26 €33.14

$2.37 ฿79.2

1472.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.45 ฿48.32

45.52%

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

$34.7K €30.9K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

69.64%

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

$34.9K €31.0K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

31.55%

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

$257 €229

$62.3 ฿2,083

312.72%

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

$15.66 €13.93

$12.27 ฿410

27.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.64 €27.26

$19.97 ฿668

53.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.36 €29.67

$37.91 ฿1,267

-12.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.15 €25.04

$3.76 ฿126

648.67%

Cinema Ticket

$11.73 €10.44

$6.71 ฿224

74.81%

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

$801 €713

$797 ฿26.6K

0.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K €12.1K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-8.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 €106

$53.3 ฿1,780

124.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.31 €40.30

$25.05 ฿837

80.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.4

$91.6 ฿3,062

17.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 €128

$73.5 ฿2,455

96.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$913 €812

$464 ฿15.5K

96.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$761 €677

$305 ฿10.2K

149.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,747 €1,554

$915 ฿30.6K

90.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,381 €1,228

$552 ฿18.5K

149.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,806 €6,054

$1,912 ฿63.9K

255.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,667 €4,151

$1,438 ฿48.1K

224.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,893 €2,573

$595 ฿19.9K

386.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

5.57

-29.62%

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

Last update for Bordeaux: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bordeaux

$761 36.6%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 60% $456

Groceries & Markets

Bordeaux

$379 18.2%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 37.3% $141

Eating Out

Bordeaux

$324 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 75.6% $245

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bordeaux

$304 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 68.8% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Bordeaux

$188 9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 41.6% $78

Getting Around

Bordeaux

$67 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 8.7% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Bordeaux

$57 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 9.6% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $913 in Bordeaux 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 386% higher in Bordeaux, 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 $79.0 in Bordeaux versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Bordeaux

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:39 11:39 PM

04:39 4:39 AM

5 h ahead of Bordeaux

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

261,804

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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Between locations

Bordeaux Chiang Mai 9,270 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Bordeaux
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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

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

Bordeaux costs about 122% 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 $3,119 per month in Bordeaux 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.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $801 per month in Bordeaux and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Bordeaux at $2,079. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bordeaux it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,079 in Bordeaux. 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, Bordeaux makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.