Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Amarante

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,492 in Amarante, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Amarante outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Amarante
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Amarante Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Amarante

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,492

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Amarante actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,492 in Amarante.

Chiang Mai $938
Amarante $1,492

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,426 in Chiang Mai versus $2,025 in Amarante.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Amarante $2,025

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,914 in Chiang Mai versus $2,558 in Amarante.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Amarante $2,558

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 37% less than in Amarante, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 30% below, Amarante is 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$6.29 €5.60

-64.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$22.17 €19.72

-13.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$6.38 €5.68

-12.38%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$0.82 €0.73

109.76%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.52 €1.36

-57.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$1.49 €1.33

-77.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.27 €1.13

85.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$1.42 €1.26

174.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.12 €0.99

83.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.68 €0.61

105.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.26 €1.12

1.59%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$2.99 €2.66

-24.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$13.11 €11.66

29.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$2.51 €2.23

9.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$2.96 €2.63

216.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.57 €1.40

52.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.47 €1.31

-31.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.84 €1.64

-12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$2.53 €2.25

-39.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.76 €1.57

-27.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$2.12 €1.88

-47.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.26 €1.12

-42.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.09 €0.97

-52.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$6.83 €6.07

-36.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$4.54 €4.04

290.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.35 €1.20

20.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$3.32 €2.95

-14.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$2.10 €1.87

-59.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$41.35 €36.78

30.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.19 €1.05

-1.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.24 €1.10

-54.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$21.12 €18.79

-88.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$2.14 €1.90

-32.24%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$13.3K €11.8K

54.16%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$26.4K €23.5K

0.52%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$102 €91.0

-39.07%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$17.59 €15.65

-30.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$43.43 €38.63

-54.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$37.68 €33.51

0.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$15.97 €14.20

-76.46%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$8.70 €7.74

-22.87%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$454 €404

75.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$6,252 €5,561

137.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$66.4 €59.1

-19.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$33.69 €29.97

-25.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$68.3 €60.7

34.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$77.0 €68.5

-4.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$903 €803

-48.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$823 €732

-62.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$1,347 €1,198

-32.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$1,156 €1,029

-52.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$2,919 €2,596

-34.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$2,452 €2,181

-41.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$1,005 €894

-40.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.7

50.54%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Amarante: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Amarante

$823 55.2% 170% $519

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Amarante

$183 12.2% 23.3% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Amarante

$110 7.4% 0.8% $0.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Amarante

$163 10.9% 72.7% $69

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Amarante

$101 6.7% 27.2% $22

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Amarante

$57 3.8% 6.8% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Amarante

$55 3.7% 7.3% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $464 in Chiang Mai and $903 in Amarante. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Amarante pays 69% 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: $19.00 in Chiang Mai vs $22.00 in Amarante. Groceries flip the comparison at $238 vs $183, with Amarante cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇹 Amarante

🕒 Local time

04:03 4:03 AM

22:03 10:03 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

52,119

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Amarante 9,980 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Amarante

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 Amarante: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai and Amarante differ by about 59% in total monthly costs ($938 vs $1,492 including rent). Chiang Mai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 69% lower in Amarante. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $464 in Chiang Mai versus $903 in Amarante. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $797 in Chiang Mai versus $454 in Amarante. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Amarante pay roughly 30% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,492 in Amarante, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Amarante. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Amarante 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 59% less than in Amarante. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.