Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Birgu

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,731 in Birgu, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
84

Cost of Living Index in Birgu
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Birgu Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Birgu

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $1,731 in Birgu.

Chiang Mai $936
Birgu $1,731

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $2,812 in Birgu.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Birgu $2,812

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $3,894 in Birgu.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Birgu $3,894

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 46% less than in Birgu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 31% below, Birgu is 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$19.30 €17.28

-88.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$87.5 €78.4

-78.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$11.78 €10.55

-52.89%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.72 €2.44

-38.60%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.18 €1.95

-70.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.70 €1.52

-81.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$4.65 €4.16

-49.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$5.04 €4.51

-27.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.35 €1.21

44.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.29 €1.15

11.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$4.24 €3.80

-68.63%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$4.08 €3.65

-44.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.38 €7.50

96.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$8.24 €7.38

-66.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$15.41 €13.80

-39.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.86 €2.56

-17.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.25 €1.12

-22.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.76 €2.47

-42.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.81 €2.51

-46.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$2.22 €1.99

-42.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.66 €1.49

-33.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.28 €2.04

-68.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.91 €0.81

-46.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.72 €6.02

-38.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$8.10 €7.25

116.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.51 €1.36

6.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.39 €2.14

16.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$2.28 €2.04

-61.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$13.94 €12.48

288.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$5.74 €5.14

-79.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.14 €1.02

-53.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$26.73 €23.94

-90.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.48 €1.33

-2.03%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$26.3K €23.6K

-19.99%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$33.3K €29.8K

-19.14%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$101 €90.5

-38.46%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$25.15 €22.52

-51.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$33.31 €29.83

-39.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$44.02 €39.43

-15.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$66.8 €59.8

-94.36%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$9.88 €8.84

-34.31%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$372 €333

97.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$1,987 €1,780

643.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$25.02 €22.41

113.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$33.21 €29.74

-25.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$99.6 €89.2

-8.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$110 €98.6

-34.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,001 €897

-51.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$803 €720

-61.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$3,637 €3,257

-72.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,537 €1,377

-58.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$3,956 €3,543

-40.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,883 €2,582

-44.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,887 €1,690

-68.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.9

92.07%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Birgu: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Birgu

$803 46.4% 160% $494

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Birgu

$278 16% 18.5% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Birgu

$121 7% 11% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Birgu

$159 9.2% 68.8% $65

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Birgu

$271 15.7% 250% $194

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Birgu

$34 2% 43.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Birgu

$64 3.7% 26.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $1,001 in Birgu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Birgu pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $88 in Birgu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $278 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇹 Birgu

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

07:27 7:27 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.78 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Birgu 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Birgu

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 Birgu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 46% lower than in Birgu. 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 69% 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: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,001 in Birgu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Birgu runs roughly 74% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $372 in Birgu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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

It comes down to priorities – Chiang Mai wins on affordability, Birgu on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.