Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bucine

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,076 in Bucine, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Bucine
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Bucine Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Bucine

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,076

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,076 in Bucine, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Bucine $2,076

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,110 in Bucine, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Bucine $3,110

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,144 in Bucine, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Bucine $4,144

Chiang Mai is about 55% cheaper than Bucine, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Bucine is 53% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$19.95 €17.93

-88.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$80.4 €72.2

-76.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$11.50 €10.33

-51.74%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.07 €1.86

-19.32%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$3.28 €2.95

-80.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.43 €1.28

-78.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$6.82 €6.13

-65.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.59 €4.12

-20.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.72 €1.54

13.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$2.18 €1.96

-33.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$3.18 €2.86

-58.18%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$5.26 €4.73

-56.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$27.84 €25.00

-40.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$15.99 €14.36

-82.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$24.50 €22.01

-62.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.01 €2.71

-21.93%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$2.10 €1.89

-53.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.31 €2.98

-51.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.32 €2.99

-54.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$3.02 €2.72

-57.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$2.09 €1.88

-47.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.81 €1.63

-60.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.83 €0.75

-40.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$7.66 €6.88

-45.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$8.34 €7.49

110.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.60 €2.33

-38.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.92 €3.52

-29.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$1.66 €1.50

-47.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$41.46 €37.24

30.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$5.43 €4.88

-78.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$2.19 €1.96

-75.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$11.53 €10.36

-79.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$2.04 €1.83

-28.92%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$35.9K €32.3K

-41.39%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$37.2K €33.5K

-27.66%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$334 €300

-81.39%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$11.95 €10.74

1.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$42.89 €38.53

-53.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$51.8 €46.56

-28.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$22.57 €20.28

-83.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.42 €9.36

-37.72%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$641 €576

14.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$8,658 €7,777

70.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$102 €91.8

-47.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$36.39 €32.69

-32.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$87.4 €78.5

4.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$193 €174

-62.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$692 €622

-30.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$645 €580

-52.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,113 €1,000

-9.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,026 €922

-38.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$3,017 €2,710

-21.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$2,210 €1,985

-28.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.7

50.54%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bucine: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Bucine

$645 31.1% 109% $336

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Bucine

$435 21% 85.7% $201

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Bucine

$189 9.1% 73.7% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bucine

$389 18.7% 312% $294

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Bucine

$281 13.5% 262% $204

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Bucine

$64 3.1% 5.1% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Bucine

$73 3.5% 44.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $692 in Bucine. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $80 in Bucine. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $435 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇹 Bucine

🕒 Local time

04:35 4:35 AM

22:35 10:35 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

10,164

💱 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 = 37.59 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

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Bucine 8,380 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bucine

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 Bucine: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bucine is pricier by about 122%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $3,114 in Bucine. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $692 in Bucine.

Groceries cost about 86% more in Bucine, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $80 in Bucine. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,076 in Bucine. 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 $2,076 in Bucine. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.