Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Apeldoorn

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,582 in Apeldoorn, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Apeldoorn
Learn more

Apeldoorn Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Apeldoorn

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,582

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,582 in Apeldoorn, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Apeldoorn $2,582

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,624 in Apeldoorn, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Apeldoorn $3,624

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,666 in Apeldoorn, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Apeldoorn $4,666

Chiang Mai is about 64% cheaper than Apeldoorn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 32% below the global median, while Apeldoorn is 91% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$22.22 €19.77

-89.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$81.6 €72.6

-75.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$13.67 €12.16

-58.96%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$4.53 €4.03

-63.36%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$3.74 €3.33

-81.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$3.29 €2.92

-90.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$5.82 €5.18

-58.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$5.47 €4.87

-32.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.47 €1.31

32.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$2.20 €1.96

-35.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$3.03 €2.70

-56.77%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$5.37 €4.78

-59.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$13.91 €12.37

19.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$14.33 €12.75

-80.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$17.31 €15.40

-47.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.69 €2.40

-11.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$2.42 €2.16

-57.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.19 €1.95

-25.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$4.26 €3.79

-64.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.92 €1.71

-32.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$2.32 €2.06

-52.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.24 €1.10

-41.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.91 €0.81

-41.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$13.76 €12.24

-68.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$7.17 €6.38

150.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.32 €1.18

19.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.70 €2.40

5.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$4.10 €3.65

-79.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$67.6 €60.1

-21.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$8.39 €7.46

-85.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$1.98 €1.76

-71.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$22.66 €20.15

-89.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$2.48 €2.21

-41.94%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$41.4K €36.8K

-49.96%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$39.2K €34.9K

-31.69%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$314 €280

-80.17%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$26.74 €23.78

-54.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$57.2 €50.9

-65.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$34.18 €30.40

8.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$15.77 €14.02

-58.78%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$1,211 €1,078

-34.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$6,072 €5,401

143.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$77.7 €69.2

-30.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$39.87 €35.47

-38.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$89.3 €79.4

1.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$103 €91.6

-30.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$971 €864

-53.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$1,188 €1,057

-74.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$1,575 €1,401

-42.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$1,667 €1,483

-66.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$4,556 €4,053

-57.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$3,630 €3,229

-60.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$3,222 €2,866

-81.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.95

41.01%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Apeldoorn: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Apeldoorn

$1.2K 46% 299% $891

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Apeldoorn

$346 13.4% 47.1% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Apeldoorn

$139 5.4% 28.9% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Apeldoorn

$398 15.4% 322% $304

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Apeldoorn

$341 13.2% 334% $263

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Apeldoorn

$102 4% 68.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Apeldoorn

$66 2.6% 31.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $971 in Apeldoorn. 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 445% higher in Apeldoorn, 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $82.0 in Apeldoorn. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $346 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇱 Apeldoorn

🕒 Local time

15:47 3:47 PM

10:47 10:47 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

167,191

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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 Apeldoorn 8,570 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Apeldoorn

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 Apeldoorn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Apeldoorn is pricier by about 179%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $3,873 in Apeldoorn. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $82.0 in Apeldoorn. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $925 in Chiang Mai and $2,582 in Apeldoorn. That's a gap of about 179%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Apeldoorn at $2,582. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Apeldoorn it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Apeldoorn makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.