Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Budaors

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,479 in Budaors, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 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
72

Cost of Living Index in Budaors
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Budaors Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Budaors

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,479

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,479 in Budaors, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Budaors $1,479

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,209 in Budaors, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Budaors $2,209

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,940 in Budaors, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Budaors $2,940

Chiang Mai is about 37% cheaper than Budaors, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 30% below the global median, while Budaors is 10% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.3

$11.32 Ft 3,650

-80.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$60.0 Ft 19.4K

-68.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$10.28 Ft 3,314

-45.62%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.44 Ft 787

-29.51%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.49 Ft 480

-57.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.17

$1.81 Ft 583

-81.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$2.51 Ft 810

-5.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$2.73 Ft 879

42.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.19 Ft 385

72.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.68

$1.64 Ft 529

-14.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.87

$2.46 Ft 792

-47.97%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.2

$3.51 Ft 1,133

-35.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$11.05 Ft 3,562

53.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$6.52 Ft 2,101

-57.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$14.50 Ft 4,674

-35.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$2.08 Ft 671

15.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.90

$2.09 Ft 675

-51.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$2.47 Ft 796

-34.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$3.95 Ft 1,273

-61.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.87

$1.10 Ft 354

16.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.20

$1.35 Ft 436

-17.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.57 Ft 506

-54.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.53

$0.59 Ft 189

-11.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$6.30 Ft 2,031

-31.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿592

$5.30 Ft 1,708

234.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.27 Ft 411

28.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.05 Ft 660

39.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.29

$1.41 Ft 454

-39.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,800

$14.67 Ft 4,729

267.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.15

$3.45 Ft 1,111

-66.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$1.33 Ft 429

-57.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.1

$19.14 Ft 6,170

-87.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.29

$1.83 Ft 591

-20.77%

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

$20.5K ฿683.9K

$31.1K Ft 10.0M

-34.21%

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

$26.5K ฿885.5K

$36.2K Ft 11.7M

-26.81%

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

$62.3 ฿2,082

$170 Ft 54.9K

-63.40%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$23.28 Ft 7,504

-47.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿667

$21.16 Ft 6,820

-5.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,266

$76.2 Ft 24.5K

-50.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿125

$16.77 Ft 5,407

-77.58%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$9.59 Ft 3,092

-30.03%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$547 Ft 176.2K

45.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.4K

$7,699 Ft 2.5M

92.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,779

$99.3 Ft 32.0K

-46.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$45.46 Ft 14.7K

-44.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,060

$103 Ft 33.4K

-11.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,454

$112 Ft 36.2K

-34.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$562 Ft 181.2K

-17.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$539 Ft 173.8K

-43.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$818 Ft 263.7K

11.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.4K

$803 Ft 258.8K

-31.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$4,090 Ft 1.3M

-53.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.0K

$3,685 Ft 1.2M

-60.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$1,726 Ft 556.4K

-65.52%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Budaors: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Budaors

$539 36.5% 77% $235

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Budaors

$254 17.2% 6.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Budaors

$162 11% 48.2% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Budaors

$215 14.5% 127% $120

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Budaors

$182 12.3% 130% $103

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Budaors

$30 2.1% 50.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Budaors

$95 6.5% 85.7% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $562 in Budaors. 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 190% higher in Budaors, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $60.0 in Budaors. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $254 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇭🇺 Budaors

🕒 Local time

21:27 9:27 PM

16:27 4:27 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

29,398

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.77 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 33.4 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.46 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 322 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 362 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.77 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Budaors 7,740 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Budaors

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 Budaors: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $938 in Chiang Mai, $1,479 in Budaors – roughly 58% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,218 in Budaors. 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.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Budaors, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $60.0 in Budaors. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Budaors at $1,479. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budaors it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $938 in Chiang Mai to $1,479 in Budaors. 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, Budaors makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.