Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Athlone

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,688 in Athlone, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
128

Cost of Living Index in Athlone
Learn more

Athlone Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Athlone

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai versus $2,688 in Athlone.

Chiang Mai $935
Athlone $2,688

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Chiang Mai versus $3,966 in Athlone.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Athlone $3,966

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,999 in Chiang Mai versus $5,244 in Athlone.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Athlone $5,244

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 65% less than in Athlone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 31% below, Athlone is 99% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$22.04 €19.66

-90.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$101 €89.8

-81.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$13.06 €11.65

-57.12%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$3.84 €3.43

-56.77%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$2.13 €1.90

-69.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$1.91 €1.71

-84.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$6.79 €6.05

-65.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$5.64 €5.03

-34.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.41 €1.26

43.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$1.32 €1.17

6.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$1.75 €1.56

-20.57%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$3.87 €3.46

-38.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$11.04 €9.85

49.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$11.36 €10.13

-76.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$11.82 €10.54

-23.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.60 €2.32

-7.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$1.64 €1.46

-36.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.41 €2.15

-31.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$2.77 €2.47

-43.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$2.51 €2.24

-50.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$2.29 €2.05

-52.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$2.13 €1.90

-64.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$1.89 €1.69

-73.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$17.94 €16.00

-77.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$11.10 €9.90

61.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$3.27 €2.92

-50.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$4.41 €3.94

-36.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$1.82 €1.63

-48.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$102 €91.4

-48.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$5.06 €4.51

-76.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$1.46 €1.30

-88.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$31.05 €27.69

-94.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$1.98 €1.77

-25.76%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$39.7K €35.4K

-47.02%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$37.5K €33.5K

-29.36%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$254 €227

-75.39%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$30.71 €27.40

-62.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$47.71 €42.56

-57.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$48.70 €43.44

-22.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$34.91 €31.14

-89.40%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$11.12 €9.92

-41.46%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$990 €883

-26.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$5,200 €4,638

218.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$114 €102

-52.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$41.19 €36.74

-39.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$86.8 €77.4

4.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$76.6 €68.4

-6.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$1,510 €1,347

-68.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$1,384 €1,235

-77.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$2,620 €2,337

-59.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$2,270 €2,025

-70.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$3,301 €2,945

-26.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$3,384 €3,018

-52.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$3,150 €2,810

-81.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.73

49.33%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Athlone: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Athlone

$1.4K 51.5% 347% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Athlone

$312 11.6% 31.9% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Athlone

$143 5.3% 32.3% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Athlone

$333 12.4% 252% $238

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Athlone

$323 12% 322% $246

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Athlone

$122 4.5% 108% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Athlone

$71 2.6% 39.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $481 in Chiang Mai and $1,510 in Athlone. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athlone pays about 5.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $101 in Athlone for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $312 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇪 Athlone

🕒 Local time

17:03 5:03 PM

10:03 10:03 AM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

21,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Athlone 9,410 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Athlone

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 Athlone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 65% lower than in Athlone. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 81% lower in Chiang Mai. 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: $481 in Chiang Mai versus $1,510 in Athlone. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $727 in Chiang Mai versus $990 in Athlone. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Athlone. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Athlone are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Athlone. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.