Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Braunschweig and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,738 in Braunschweig, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Braunschweig
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Braunschweig Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Braunschweig

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,738

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,738 per month in Braunschweig vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Braunschweig $1,738
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,793 per month in Braunschweig vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Braunschweig $2,793
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,849 per month in Braunschweig vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Braunschweig $3,849
Chiang Mai $1,914

Braunschweig costs about 85% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Braunschweig sits 29% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.80 €14.94

$2.26 ฿75.4

643.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.6 €68.2

$19.18 ฿641

299.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.01 €9.80

$5.59 ฿187

96.96%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.64

$1.72 ฿57.6

138.37%

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

$3.35 €2.98

$0.64 ฿21.54

423.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 €2.52

$0.33 ฿11.18

757.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.44 €3.95

$2.36 ฿78.7

88.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 €3.23

$3.90 ฿130

-6.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.09

$2.05 ฿68.6

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.40 ฿46.70

60.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.24 €3.77

$1.28 ฿42.89

231.25%

Eggs

$4.08 €3.63

$2.25 ฿75.3

81.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.53 €12.93

$16.94 ฿566

-14.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.14 €9.02

$2.74 ฿91.6

270.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.25 €22.46

$9.36 ฿313

169.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.26 €2.90

$2.40 ฿80.3

35.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.01 ฿33.92

102.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.61 ฿53.9

21.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 €3.48

$1.52 ฿50.7

157.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.28 ฿42.90

-7.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.11 ฿37.22

13.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 €1.28

$0.72 ฿24.09

98.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.82

$0.52 ฿17.54

76.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.67 €8.60

$4.33 ฿145

123.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.25 €5.56

$17.73 ฿593

-64.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.63 ฿54.4

-29.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.38

$2.85 ฿95.3

-45.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.85 ฿28.31

348.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.2 €61.5

$53.9 ฿1,801

28.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.59 €4.98

$1.17 ฿39.18

377.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.83 €2.52

$0.57 ฿19.00

396.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.17 €26.84

$2.37 ฿79.2

1173.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.45 ฿48.32

49.66%

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

$33.2K €29.5K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

62.16%

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

$38.2K €33.9K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

43.93%

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

$198 €176

$62.3 ฿2,083

217.23%

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

$28.75 €25.57

$12.27 ฿410

134.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.2 €44.63

$19.97 ฿668

151.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.61 €34.35

$37.91 ฿1,267

1.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.20 €11.74

$3.76 ฿126

251.06%

Cinema Ticket

$13.24 €11.77

$6.71 ฿224

97.32%

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

$390 €347

$797 ฿26.6K

-51.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K €12.6K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-4.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.9 €72.8

$53.3 ฿1,780

53.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.46 €35.10

$25.05 ฿837

57.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.7 €87.8

$91.6 ฿3,062

7.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €107

$73.5 ฿2,455

64.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$651 €579

$464 ฿15.5K

40.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$530 €471

$305 ฿10.2K

73.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 €1,160

$915 ฿30.6K

42.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,112 €989

$552 ฿18.5K

101.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,423 €3,934

$1,912 ฿63.9K

131.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,069 €1,840

$1,438 ฿48.1K

43.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,328 €3,850

$595 ฿19.9K

627.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.76

5.57

-32.50%

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

Last update for Braunschweig: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Braunschweig

$530 30.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 42.5% $225

Groceries & Markets

Braunschweig

$338 19.5%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 29.6% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Braunschweig

$277 15.9%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 65.8% $182

Eating Out

Braunschweig

$271 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 70.8% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Braunschweig

$153 8.8%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 28.6% $44

Getting Around

Braunschweig

$104 6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 41.2% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Braunschweig

$65 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 21.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $651 in Braunschweig 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 627% higher in Braunschweig, 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 $77.0 in Braunschweig versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $338 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Braunschweig

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:27 7:27 PM

00:27 12:27 AM

5 h ahead of Braunschweig

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

253,167

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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Braunschweig Chiang Mai 8,260 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Braunschweig
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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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,738 in Braunschweig, $938 in Chiang Mai – roughly 85% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,607 per month in Braunschweig 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,738 in Braunschweig and $938 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 85%.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Braunschweig at $1,738. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Braunschweig it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $938 in Chiang Mai to $1,738 in Braunschweig. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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