Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Aarhus

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,484 in Aarhus, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
120

Cost of Living Index in Aarhus
Learn more

Aarhus Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Aarhus

🇩🇰 Denmark

$2,484

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Aarhus

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Aarhus actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,484 in Aarhus, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Aarhus $2,484

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,867 in Aarhus, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Aarhus $3,867

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,249 in Aarhus, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Aarhus $5,249

Chiang Mai is about 62% cheaper than Aarhus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Aarhus is 83% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$22.13 DKK 149

-89.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$114 DKK 763

-83.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$15.20 DKK 102

-63.49%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$7.02 DKK 47.11

-76.21%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$4.18 DKK 28.08

-84.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$3.54 DKK 23.75

-91.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$8.38 DKK 56.3

-71.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$8.49 DKK 57.0

-56.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.97 DKK 13.19

-1.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$3.77 DKK 25.32

-61.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.39 DKK 16.05

-44.35%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$4.99 DKK 33.54

-54.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$15.76 DKK 106

4.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$11.27 DKK 75.7

-75.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$18.21 DKK 122

-48.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.13 DKK 21.00

-24.92%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$3.66 DKK 24.57

-73.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.78 DKK 25.37

-57.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$5.20 DKK 34.89

-71.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$2.32 DKK 15.59

-44.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$2.10 DKK 14.12

-47.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$2.03 DKK 13.62

-65.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.50 DKK 10.06

-67.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$9.36 DKK 62.9

-55.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$10.19 DKK 68.4

71.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.01 DKK 13.48

-19.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.66 DKK 17.84

4.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$3.88 DKK 26.05

-77.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$65.6 DKK 441

-17.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$5.91 DKK 39.68

-80.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.66 DKK 11.15

-68.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$60.8 DKK 408

-96.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$2.59 DKK 17.41

-44.02%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$54.7K DKK 367.5K

-61.52%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$53.6K DKK 359.7K

-49.71%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$214 DKK 1,440

-71.01%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$15.41 DKK 103

-21.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$44.04 DKK 296

-54.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$48.08 DKK 323

-22.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$24.44 DKK 164

-84.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$19.41 DKK 130

-66.56%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$723 DKK 4,858

1.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$5,926 DKK 39.8K

149.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$118 DKK 792

-54.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$47.29 DKK 318

-47.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$155 DKK 1,038

-40.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$188 DKK 1,262

-61.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,344 DKK 9,022

-64.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,006 DKK 6,756

-69.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$2,248 DKK 15.1K

-55.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,767 DKK 11.9K

-64.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$7,399 DKK 49.7K

-68.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$4,856 DKK 32.6K

-67.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$4,557 DKK 30.6K

-87.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.67

51.77%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Aarhus: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Aarhus

$1K 40.5% 226% $697

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Aarhus

$397 16% 69.3% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Aarhus

$229 9.2% 110% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Aarhus

$274 11% 190% $179

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Aarhus

$397 16% 411% $319

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Aarhus

$95 3.8% 55.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Aarhus

$87 3.5% 72.9% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,344 in Aarhus. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Aarhus are about 7.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $114 in Aarhus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $397 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇩🇰 Aarhus

🕒 Local time

21:03 9:03 PM

15:03 3:03 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

273,077

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Danish Krone DKK kr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 DKK = 0.149 USD

1 DKK = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DKK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Danish Krone exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.71 DKK (1 DKK = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.47 DKK (1 DKK = 0.134 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Aarhus 8,210 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Aarhus

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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $2,484 in Aarhus – roughly 166% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $3,726 in Aarhus. 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 $1,344 in Aarhus.

Public transport costs about 18% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $723 in Aarhus. 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 $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,484 in Aarhus. 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 $2,484 in Aarhus. 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, Aarhus makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.