Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bugibba and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,739 in Bugibba, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Bugibba
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Bugibba Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bugibba

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,739

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,739 per month in Bugibba vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bugibba $1,739
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,712 per month in Bugibba vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bugibba $2,712
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,686 per month in Bugibba vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bugibba $3,686
Chiang Mai $1,979

Bugibba costs about 86% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bugibba sits 28% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.27

$2.24 ฿75.6

660.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.1 €70.9

$19.00 ฿641

316.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 €10.08

$5.55 ฿187

102.70%

Cappuccino

$3.04 €2.73

$1.67 ฿56.5

82.04%

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

$2.32 €2.08

$0.64 ฿21.55

262.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.78

$0.31 ฿10.31

538.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.60 €4.12

$2.36 ฿79.6

94.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 €2.92

$3.66 ฿124

-10.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.95 ฿65.8

-30.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.44 ฿48.48

-1.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.33 ฿45.04

70.68%

Eggs

$3.26 €2.92

$2.28 ฿77.1

42.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 €9.11

$16.45 ฿555

-38.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 €8.61

$2.78 ฿93.9

245.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.89 €10.66

$9.31 ฿314

27.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 €2.05

$2.35 ฿79.4

-2.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.97 ฿32.80

115.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.47 €2.21

$1.60 ฿53.9

54.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.50 ฿50.6

22.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.28 ฿43.12

49.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.10 ฿37.19

22.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.51

$0.71 ฿23.82

136.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 €0.55

$0.49 ฿16.37

26.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.12 €5.48

$4.14 ฿140

47.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.66 €5.07

$17.52 ฿591

-67.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.61 ฿54.5

2.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.33

$2.78 ฿94.0

-46.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 €2.23

$0.87 ฿29.31

185.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 €3.09

$1.16 ฿39.06

197.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.53 ฿17.80

243.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.57 €29.19

$2.42 ฿81.8

1245.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.45 ฿48.90

4.83%

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

$24.4K €21.9K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

16.02%

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

$30.2K €27.1K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

12.12%

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

$75.6 €67.7

$62.2 ฿2,098

21.52%

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

$17.46 €15.65

$12.17 ฿411

43.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.90 €25.89

$20.12 ฿679

43.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.7 €64.2

$37.31 ฿1,259

92.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.96 €29.53

$3.77 ฿127

774.27%

Cinema Ticket

$11.32 €10.14

$6.49 ฿219

74.42%

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

$273 €245

$736 ฿24.8K

-62.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K €11.2K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-15.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.7 €51.7

$53.4 ฿1,801

8.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.9 €61.8

$24.64 ฿831

179.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €101

$91.5 ฿3,087

23.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €118

$71.9 ฿2,428

83.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 €975

$482 ฿16.3K

125.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 €741

$309 ฿10.4K

167.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,643 €1,472

$1,006 ฿33.9K

63.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,404 €1,258

$633 ฿21.4K

121.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,100 €1,882

$590 ฿19.9K

256.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

5.57

-27.29%

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

Last update for Bugibba: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bugibba

$827 47.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 62.7% $519

Eating Out

Bugibba

$253 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 69.4% $176

Groceries & Markets

Bugibba

$252 14.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Bugibba

$167 9.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 35.1% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bugibba

$122 7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 22.5% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Bugibba

$94 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 46.7% $44

Getting Around

Bugibba

$22 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 173% $39

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,089 in Bugibba versus $482 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 in Bugibba are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79 in Bugibba versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $252 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Bugibba

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:02 8:02 AM

14:02 2:02 PM

6 h ahead of Bugibba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,042

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Bugibba
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,739 in Bugibba, $936 in Chiang Mai – Chiang Mai comes out roughly 46% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,608 per month in Bugibba and $1,403 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,089 in Bugibba.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,739 in Bugibba and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Chiang Mai about 46% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $273 per month in Bugibba and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,739 in Bugibba and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,739 in Bugibba. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bugibba makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.