Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bydgoszcz and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,461 in Bydgoszcz, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Bydgoszcz
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Bydgoszcz Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bydgoszcz

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,461

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,461 in Bydgoszcz versus $925 in Chiang Mai.

Bydgoszcz $1,461
Chiang Mai $925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,221 in Bydgoszcz versus $1,414 in Chiang Mai.

Bydgoszcz $2,221
Chiang Mai $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,981 in Bydgoszcz versus $1,903 in Chiang Mai.

Bydgoszcz $2,981
Chiang Mai $1,903

Living in Bydgoszcz is roughly 58% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bydgoszcz is 8% above, Chiang Mai is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.16 zł 47.25

$2.29 ฿76.5

431.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.0 zł 245

$19.64 ฿656

220.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.78 zł 30.21

$5.61 ฿188

38.68%

Cappuccino

$3.42 zł 13.29

$1.66 ฿55.6

106.02%

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

$2.10 zł 8.17

$0.70 ฿23.40

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 zł 6.61

$0.31 ฿10.24

448.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 zł 15.02

$2.41 ฿80.4

60.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 zł 14.25

$3.71 ฿124

-1.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 zł 4.06

$1.95 ฿65.3

-46.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 zł 6.54

$1.41 ฿47.03

19.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 zł 3.77

$1.31 ฿43.62

-25.95%

Eggs

$3.86 zł 14.98

$2.18 ฿72.9

77.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 zł 35.72

$16.65 ฿556

-44.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.94 zł 26.95

$2.76 ฿92.2

151.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.97 zł 46.52

$9.11 ฿304

31.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.36 zł 5.30

$2.39 ฿80.0

-43.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 zł 6.56

$1.03 ฿34.26

64.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 zł 6.00

$1.63 ฿54.4

-5.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 zł 12.30

$1.50 ฿50.0

111.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 zł 3.62

$1.29 ฿43.13

-27.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 zł 5.12

$1.11 ฿37.03

18.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 zł 4.38

$0.72 ฿24.08

56.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 zł 2.57

$0.53 ฿17.59

24.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.67 zł 22.02

$4.31 ฿144

31.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.13 zł 31.59

$17.95 ฿600

-54.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 zł 4.16

$1.58 ฿52.9

-32.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 zł 5.55

$2.84 ฿95.0

-49.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 zł 3.71

$0.86 ฿28.86

10.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.75 zł 108

$53.3 ฿1,780

-47.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 zł 8.30

$1.21 ฿40.29

76.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 zł 3.04

$0.57 ฿18.99

36.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.08 zł 39.18

$2.35 ฿78.6

328.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 zł 6.03

$1.44 ฿47.96

7.64%

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

$30.7K zł 119.2K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

47.95%

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

$29.7K zł 115.2K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

10.66%

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

$282 zł 1,095

$62.3 ฿2,083

352.13%

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

$7.93 zł 30.83

$12.11 ฿405

-34.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.87 zł 73.3

$19.94 ฿666

-5.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.69 zł 154

$37.07 ฿1,239

7.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.79 zł 65.2

$3.78 ฿126

344.18%

Cinema Ticket

$7.71 zł 29.97

$6.50 ฿217

18.62%

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

$329 zł 1,278

$793 ฿26.5K

-58.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,120 zł 19.9K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-65.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.1 zł 319

$53.7 ฿1,796

52.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.18 zł 141

$24.62 ฿823

46.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 zł 347

$90.9 ฿3,036

-1.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 zł 392

$71.1 ฿2,378

41.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$678 zł 2,633

$455 ฿15.2K

48.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 zł 1,907

$298 ฿9,954

64.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,116 zł 4,336

$908 ฿30.4K

22.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$896 zł 3,481

$554 ฿18.5K

61.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,864 zł 11.1K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

48.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,164 zł 8,409

$1,445 ฿48.3K

49.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,497 zł 5,817

$591 ฿19.7K

153.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

5.57

23.70%

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

Last update for Bydgoszcz: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bydgoszcz

$491 33.6%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 39.3% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bydgoszcz

$309 21.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 69.4% $214

Groceries & Markets

Bydgoszcz

$226 15.5%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 4.2% $9.4

Eating Out

Bydgoszcz

$204 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 61.4% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Bydgoszcz

$139 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 22.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Bydgoszcz

$55 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 9.2% $5.1

Getting Around

Bydgoszcz

$38 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 61.6% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $678 in Bydgoszcz and $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bydgoszcz pays 153% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $63.0 in Bydgoszcz vs $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $226 vs $235, with Bydgoszcz cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Bydgoszcz

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:53 12:53 PM

17:53 5:53 PM

5 h ahead of Bydgoszcz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

359,428

127,240

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bydgoszcz Chiang Mai 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bydgoszcz
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

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

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Bydgoszcz. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 153% higher in Bydgoszcz, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $678 in Bydgoszcz versus $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $329 in Bydgoszcz versus $793 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bydgoszcz pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $925 in Chiang Mai versus $1,461 in Bydgoszcz, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Bydgoszcz. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chiang Mai delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $925 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chiang Mai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bydgoszcz and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Bydgoszcz. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.