Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Békéscsaba

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,125 in Békéscsaba, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Békéscsaba
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Békéscsaba Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Békéscsaba

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,125

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,125 in Békéscsaba, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Békéscsaba $1,125

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,647 in Békéscsaba, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Békéscsaba $1,647

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,169 in Békéscsaba, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Békéscsaba $2,169

Chiang Mai is about 18% cheaper than Békéscsaba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Békéscsaba are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Békéscsaba 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$9.00 Ft 2,906

-74.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$45.36 Ft 14.7K

-56.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$5.51 Ft 1,779

1.81%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.22 Ft 718

-25.23%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.38 Ft 446

-49.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.88 Ft 286

-64.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.10 Ft 354

119.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$1.22 Ft 395

204.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.20 Ft 387

62.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.47 Ft 475

-4.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$2.19 Ft 706

-40.18%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$3.23 Ft 1,044

-32.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$9.88 Ft 3,193

68.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$6.75 Ft 2,182

-59.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$14.52 Ft 4,692

-37.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.94 Ft 628

23.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$2.04 Ft 659

-49.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.58 Ft 509

3.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$2.86 Ft 924

-47.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.00 Ft 323

29.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.01 Ft 326

9.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.06 Ft 344

-32.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.48 Ft 155

10.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$7.97 Ft 2,575

-45.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$3.08 Ft 995

482.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.05 Ft 338

50.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.13 Ft 690

33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$1.27 Ft 410

-32.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$2.73 Ft 883

-55.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$1.33 Ft 431

-57.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$6.28 Ft 2,028

-62.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.85 Ft 599

-22.16%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$28.7K Ft 9.3M

-27.70%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$34.6K Ft 11.2M

-22.53%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$174 Ft 56.1K

-64.09%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$23.76 Ft 7,675

-49.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$21.51 Ft 6,949

-7.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$33.92 Ft 11.0K

9.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$9.47 Ft 3,058

-31.36%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$548 Ft 176.9K

44.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$17.1K Ft 5.5M

-13.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$99.1 Ft 32.0K

-45.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$31.41 Ft 10.1K

-21.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$61.5 Ft 19.9K

47.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$118 Ft 38.2K

-39.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$425 Ft 137.5K

7.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$338 Ft 109.3K

-11.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$557 Ft 179.9K

63.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$435 Ft 140.6K

27.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,526 Ft 493.1K

26.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,197 Ft 386.7K

20.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$1,398 Ft 451.8K

-57.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.45

-13.64%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Békéscsaba: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Békéscsaba

$338 30.1% 13.6% $41

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Békéscsaba

$229 20.3% 2.9% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Békéscsaba

$140 12.4% 29% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Békéscsaba

$219 19.5% 132% $124

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Békéscsaba

$132 11.8% 68.2% $54

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Békéscsaba

$14 * 1.3% 76.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Békéscsaba

$53 4.7% 5.6% $2.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $425 in Békéscsaba. 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 137% higher in Békéscsaba, 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 $45.00 in Békéscsaba. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $229 in Békéscsaba – so Békéscsaba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇭🇺 Békéscsaba

🕒 Local time

21:54 9:54 PM

16:54 4:54 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

54,460

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR 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).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Békéscsaba 7,590 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Békéscsaba

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 Békéscsaba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Békéscsaba costs about 22% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,687 in Békéscsaba. 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 $45.00 in Békéscsaba. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Békéscsaba – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Békéscsaba at $1,125. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Békéscsaba it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,125 in Békéscsaba. 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, Békéscsaba makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.