Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Baden, Austria

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,363 in Baden, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. The total is higher in Baden despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Baden
Learn more

Baden Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Baden

🇦🇹 Austria

$1,363

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,363 in Baden, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Baden $1,363

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,153 in Baden, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Baden $2,153

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,943 in Baden, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Baden $2,943

Chiang Mai is about 31% cheaper than Baden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$16.94 €15.21

-86.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$83.4 €74.9

-77.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$11.32 €10.17

-50.97%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$4.26 €3.83

-60.80%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$3.54 €3.18

-81.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$2.94 €2.64

-89.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$5.43 €4.87

-56.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$5.64 €5.07

-35.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.55 €1.39

25.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$2.42 €2.18

-40.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.40 €2.16

-44.58%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.18 €2.86

-28.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$22.25 €19.99

-26.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$12.89 €11.58

-78.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$21.04 €18.90

-55.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.28 €2.05

3.07%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.75 €1.57

-44.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.36 €3.02

-52.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$4.15 €3.73

-63.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$2.59 €2.33

-50.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$2.06 €1.85

-46.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$2.14 €1.92

-66.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.29 €1.15

-62.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$7.71 €6.92

-46.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$9.14 €8.21

91.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.29 €1.16

24.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.20 €1.98

26.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$3.48 €3.13

-75.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$5.69 €5.11

-79.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$2.35 €2.11

-77.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$31.59 €28.37

-92.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.82 €1.63

-20.33%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$29.8K €26.7K

-29.25%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$30.5K €27.4K

-11.60%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$336 €302

-81.51%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$16.06 €14.43

-24.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$38.50 €34.59

-47.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$75.9 €68.2

-50.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$15.47 €13.90

-58.05%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$1,347 €1,210

-45.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$15.5K €13.9K

-4.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$83.3 €74.8

-35.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$58.5 €52.5

-57.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$114 €102

-19.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$126 €113

-42.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,694 €1,521

-65.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.5

59.14%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Baden: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Baden

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Baden

$377 27.7% 61% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Baden

$172 12.6% 58% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Baden

$391 28.7% 314% $296

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Baden

$285 20.9% 267% $207

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Baden

$31 * 2.3% 48.9% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Baden

$107 7.8% 113% $57

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Baden are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $83 in Baden. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $377 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇦🇹 Baden

🕒 Local time

23:08 11:08 PM

17:08 5:08 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

25,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Baden 7,940 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Baden

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 Baden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $1,363 in Baden – roughly 46% 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 $2,044 in Baden. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $83 in Baden. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 61% more in Baden, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,363 in Baden. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,363 in Baden. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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