Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Brno

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,898 in Brno, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 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
91

Cost of Living Index in Brno
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Brno Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Brno

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,898

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $1,898 in Brno.

Chiang Mai $936
Brno $1,898

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $2,646 in Brno.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Brno $2,646

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $3,394 in Brno.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Brno $3,394

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 51% less than in Brno, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 31% below, Brno is 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$9.23 Kč 202

-75.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$44.97 Kč 984

-57.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$9.27 Kč 203

-40.13%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.56 Kč 77.9

-53.09%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.67 Kč 36.46

-61.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.30 Kč 28.44

-76.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.61 Kč 57.1

-9.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.82 Kč 61.7

29.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.16 Kč 25.41

68.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.46 Kč 31.90

-1.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.29 Kč 50.2

-41.92%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.69 Kč 80.7

-38.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$12.45 Kč 273

32.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$8.94 Kč 196

-68.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$16.57 Kč 363

-43.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.81 Kč 39.63

29.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.76 Kč 38.44

-44.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.16 Kč 47.20

-25.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.32 Kč 72.6

-54.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.06 Kč 23.22

20.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.09 Kč 23.83

0.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.55 Kč 33.96

-54.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.72 Kč 15.80

-31.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$7.55 Kč 165

-45.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.03 Kč 154

149.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.88 Kč 19.25

82.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.63 Kč 35.77

70.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$1.18 Kč 25.74

-26.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$25.29 Kč 553

113.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$2.79 Kč 61.0

-58.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.88 Kč 41.14

-71.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$16.41 Kč 359

-85.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.95 Kč 42.66

-25.64%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$30.2K Kč 661.6K

-30.35%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$31.9K Kč 699.0K

-15.66%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$295 Kč 6,450

-78.91%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$22.21 Kč 486

-45.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$18.70 Kč 409

7.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$55.2 Kč 1,208

-32.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$12.84 Kč 281

-70.64%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$12.82 Kč 281

-49.38%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$622 Kč 13.6K

18.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$11.5K Kč 252.6K

27.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$84.8 Kč 1,856

-37.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$36.66 Kč 802

-32.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$103 Kč 2,254

-11.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$123 Kč 2,684

-41.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,029 Kč 22.5K

-53.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$839 Kč 18.4K

-63.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,540 Kč 33.7K

-34.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,219 Kč 26.7K

-48.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$6,669 Kč 145.9K

-64.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$5,423 Kč 118.7K

-70.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,866 Kč 40.8K

-68.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.69

18.76%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Brno: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Brno

$839 44.2% 172% $530

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Brno

$269 14.2% 14.6% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Brno

$156 8.2% 43.8% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Brno

$336 17.7% 255% $241

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Brno

$175 9.2% 125% $97

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Brno

$42 2.2% 31.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Brno

$81 4.3% 60.8% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $1,029 in Brno. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brno 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 $45 in Brno for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $269 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇿 Brno

🕒 Local time

01:49 1:49 AM

19:49 7:49 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

380,127

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 CZK = 4.57 USD

100 CZK = 4.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CZK, USD, EUR 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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 21.88 CZK (100 CZK = 4.57 USD). 1 EUR = 24.36 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Brno 7,890 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Brno

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 Brno: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and groceries. The 103% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 68% 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 $1,029 in Brno. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $45 in Brno. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $936 per month in Chiang Mai versus $1,898 in Brno – a 103% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

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 work as nomad bases, but Chiang Mai delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $936 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chiang Mai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Brno are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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