Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cesis

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,102 in Cesis, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Cesis
Learn more

Cesis Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Cesis

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,102 in Cesis.

Chiang Mai $938
Cesis $1,102

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,426 in Chiang Mai versus $1,829 in Cesis.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Cesis $1,829

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,914 in Chiang Mai versus $2,556 in Cesis.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Cesis $2,556

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 15% less than in Cesis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 30% lower, Cesis 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$16.49 €14.67

-86.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$66.9 €59.5

-71.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$9.00 €8.01

-37.89%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$3.68 €3.28

-53.26%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.62 €1.44

-60.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$1.18 €1.05

-72.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$5.63 €5.00

-58.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$5.08 €4.52

-23.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.19 €1.06

72.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.48 €1.31

-5.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$2.49 €2.21

-48.59%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$2.73 €2.43

-17.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$10.66 €9.48

58.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$8.42 €7.49

-67.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$13.46 €11.98

-30.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$2.06 €1.83

16.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.80 €1.60

-43.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$2.47 €2.20

-34.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$2.97 €2.65

-48.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.82 €0.73

56.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.90 €0.80

23.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.73 €1.54

-58.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.92 €0.82

-43.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$6.80 €6.05

-36.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$7.92 €7.05

123.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.71 €1.52

-4.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.03 €1.80

40.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$3.28 €2.92

-64.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.98 €0.87

-41.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$17.96 €15.97

-86.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$2.04 €1.81

-28.92%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$27.3K €24.3K

-25.06%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$30.3K €27.0K

-12.50%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$368 €328

-83.08%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$19.14 €17.02

-35.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$19.72 €17.54

1.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$11.34 €10.09

-40.83%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$683 €608

16.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$18.2K €16.2K

-18.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$67.9 €60.4

-21.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$51.0 €45.32

-50.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$84.6 €75.2

8.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$136 €121

-46.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$283 €252

95.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$1,095 €974

-45.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.77

16.77%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cesis: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Cesis

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Cesis

$259 23.5% 8.6% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Cesis

$153 13.9% 39.5% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Cesis

$407 37% 331% $313

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Cesis

$253 22.9% 220% $174

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Cesis

$8.2 * 0.7% 86.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Cesis

$23 * 2.1% 55.8% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

Cesis pays 84% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $19.00 in Chiang Mai vs $67.0 in Cesis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $259 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇻 Cesis

🕒 Local time

02:59 2:59 AM

22:59 10:59 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

17,673

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Cesis 7,280 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Cesis

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 Cesis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 84% lower in Cesis. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $797 in Chiang Mai versus $683 in Cesis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $67.0 in Cesis. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,102 in Cesis, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Cesis. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Chiang Mai is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cesis, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Cesis. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.