Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budaors and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,479 in Budaors, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Budaors
Learn more

Budaors Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Budaors

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,479

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,479 per month in Budaors vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Budaors $1,479
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,209 per month in Budaors vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Budaors $2,209
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,940 per month in Budaors vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Budaors $2,940
Chiang Mai $1,914

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

Budaors sits 10% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.32 Ft 3,650

$2.26 ฿75.3

400.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.0 Ft 19.4K

$19.18 ฿641

213.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.28 Ft 3,314

$5.59 ฿187

83.90%

Cappuccino

$2.44 Ft 787

$1.72 ฿57.6

41.86%

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

$1.49 Ft 480

$0.64 ฿21.53

132.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 Ft 583

$0.33 ฿11.17

448.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 Ft 810

$2.36 ฿78.7

6.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 Ft 879

$3.90 ฿130

-30.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 Ft 385

$2.05 ฿68.6

-41.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 Ft 529

$1.40 ฿46.68

17.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.46 Ft 792

$1.28 ฿42.87

92.19%

Eggs

$3.51 Ft 1,133

$2.25 ฿75.2

56.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.05 Ft 3,562

$16.94 ฿566

-34.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 Ft 2,101

$2.74 ฿91.6

137.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.50 Ft 4,674

$9.36 ฿313

54.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 Ft 671

$2.40 ฿80.2

-13.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 Ft 675

$1.01 ฿33.90

106.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 Ft 796

$1.61 ฿53.9

53.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 Ft 1,273

$1.52 ฿50.7

159.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 Ft 354

$1.28 ฿42.87

-14.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 Ft 436

$1.11 ฿37.20

21.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 Ft 506

$0.72 ฿24.08

118.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 Ft 189

$0.52 ฿17.53

13.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.30 Ft 2,031

$4.33 ฿145

45.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.30 Ft 1,708

$17.73 ฿592

-70.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.63 ฿54.4

-22.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 Ft 660

$2.85 ฿95.3

-28.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 Ft 454

$0.85 ฿28.29

65.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.67 Ft 4,729

$53.9 ฿1,800

-72.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 Ft 1,111

$1.17 ฿39.15

194.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.33 Ft 429

$0.57 ฿18.99

133.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.14 Ft 6,170

$2.37 ฿79.1

707.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 Ft 591

$1.45 ฿48.29

26.21%

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

$31.1K Ft 10.0M

$20.5K ฿683.9K

52.00%

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

$36.2K Ft 11.7M

$26.5K ฿885.5K

36.63%

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

$170 Ft 54.9K

$62.3 ฿2,082

173.22%

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

$23.28 Ft 7,504

$12.27 ฿410

89.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.16 Ft 6,820

$19.97 ฿667

5.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.2 Ft 24.5K

$37.91 ฿1,266

100.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.77 Ft 5,407

$3.76 ฿125

346.01%

Cinema Ticket

$9.59 Ft 3,092

$6.71 ฿224

42.92%

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

$547 Ft 176.2K

$797 ฿26.6K

-31.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,699 Ft 2.5M

$14.8K ฿495.4K

-48.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.3 Ft 32.0K

$53.3 ฿1,779

86.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.46 Ft 14.7K

$25.05 ฿837

81.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 Ft 33.4K

$91.6 ฿3,060

12.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 Ft 36.2K

$73.5 ฿2,454

53.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$562 Ft 181.2K

$464 ฿15.5K

21.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 Ft 173.8K

$305 ฿10.2K

77.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$818 Ft 263.7K

$915 ฿30.6K

-10.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 Ft 258.8K

$552 ฿18.4K

45.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,090 Ft 1.3M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

113.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,685 Ft 1.2M

$1,438 ฿48.0K

156.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,726 Ft 556.4K

$595 ฿19.9K

190.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.57

15.80%

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

Last update for Budaors: 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

Budaors

$539 36.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 43.5% $235

Groceries & Markets

Budaors

$254 17.2%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 6.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budaors

$215 14.5%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 56% $120

Eating Out

Budaors

$182 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 56.6% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Budaors

$162 11%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 32.5% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Budaors

$95 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 46.2% $44

Getting Around

Budaors

$30 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 102% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $562 in Budaors 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 190% higher in Budaors, 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 $60.0 in Budaors versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $254 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budaors

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:37 3:37 PM

20:37 8:37 PM

5 h ahead of Budaors

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,398

127,240

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.77 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 322 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 362 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.77 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 33.4 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.46 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Budaors Chiang Mai 7,740 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Budaors
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,479 in Budaors, $938 in Chiang Mai – roughly 58% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,218 per month in Budaors 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 7% more in Budaors, 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 $60.0 in Budaors 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 Budaors at $1,479. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budaors 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 $1,479 in Budaors. 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, Budaors makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.