Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chaves and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,064 in Chaves, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chaves outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

51

Cost of Living Index in Chaves
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Chaves Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Chaves

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,064

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,064 per month in Chaves vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Chaves $1,064
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,607 per month in Chaves vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Chaves $1,607
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,150 per month in Chaves vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Chaves $2,150
Chiang Mai $1,903

Chaves costs about 15% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chaves and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Chaves 21% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.99 €7.10

$2.29 ฿76.5

248.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.32 €19.86

$19.64 ฿656

13.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.78 €6.92

$5.61 ฿188

38.68%

Cappuccino

$1.54 €1.37

$1.66 ฿55.6

-7.23%

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

$1.49 €1.33

$0.70 ฿23.40

112.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.31 ฿10.24

83.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.41 ฿80.4

-5.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$3.71 ฿124

-26.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.95 ฿65.3

-47.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.41 ฿47.03

-19.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.31 ฿43.62

-13.74%

Eggs

$3.05 €2.71

$2.18 ฿72.9

39.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.23 €5.54

$16.65 ฿556

-62.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 €5.81

$2.76 ฿92.2

136.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.26 €9.12

$9.11 ฿304

12.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.14 €1.01

$2.39 ฿80.0

-52.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.03 ฿34.26

11.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 €0.98

$1.63 ฿54.4

-31.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.97

$1.50 ฿50.0

-26.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.29 ฿43.13

56.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.11 ฿37.03

1.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.72 ฿24.08

95.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.70

$0.53 ฿17.59

49.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 €5.31

$4.31 ฿144

38.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.03 €3.58

$17.95 ฿600

-77.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.58 ฿52.9

-27.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.84 ฿95.0

-59.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 €0.77

$0.86 ฿28.86

1.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.67 €24.61

$53.3 ฿1,780

-48.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 €3.53

$1.21 ฿40.29

228.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 €0.61

$0.57 ฿18.99

19.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 €17.60

$2.35 ฿78.6

741.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.44 ฿47.96

35.42%

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

$34.1K €30.4K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

64.61%

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

$37.6K €33.4K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

40.30%

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

$134 €119

$62.3 ฿2,083

114.38%

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

$17.81 €15.84

$12.11 ฿405

47.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.69 €28.19

$19.94 ฿666

58.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.25 €22.46

$37.07 ฿1,239

-31.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.49 €4.88

$3.78 ฿126

45.24%

Cinema Ticket

$7.14 €6.35

$6.50 ฿217

9.85%

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

$223 €199

$793 ฿26.5K

-71.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,620 €3,220

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-75.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 €63.9

$53.7 ฿1,796

33.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.56 €20.07

$24.62 ฿823

-8.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.0 €56.1

$90.9 ฿3,036

-30.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.2 €80.3

$71.1 ฿2,378

26.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 €425

$455 ฿15.2K

4.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 €336

$298 ฿9,954

26.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$951 €846

$908 ฿30.4K

4.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 €655

$554 ฿18.5K

32.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,870 €1,663

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-3.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,472 €1,310

$1,445 ฿48.3K

1.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,015 €903

$591 ฿19.7K

71.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-46.14%

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

Last update for Chaves: 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

Chaves

$378 35.5%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 21.2% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chaves

$183 17.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 48.5% $89

Groceries & Markets

Chaves

$182 17.2%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 29.1% $53

Eating Out

Chaves

$131 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 39.9% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Chaves

$111 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 3% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Chaves

$40 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 26.6% $11

Getting Around

Chaves

$39 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 57.9% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Chaves versus $455 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 72% higher in Chaves, 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 $22.00 in Chaves versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $182 in Chaves vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Chaves wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Chaves

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:17 2:17 PM

20:17 8:17 PM

6 h ahead of Chaves

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,592

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

On the map

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Between locations

Chaves Chiang Mai 9,920 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chaves
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

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

Chaves costs about 15% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,596 per month in Chaves and $1,388 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 93% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $223 per month in Chaves and $793 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 $925, than in Chaves at $1,064. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chaves it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,064 in Chaves. 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, Chaves makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.