Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Dabas

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,282 in Dabas, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Dabas
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Dabas Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Dabas

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,282

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,282 in Dabas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Dabas $1,282

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,940 in Dabas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Dabas $1,940

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,598 in Dabas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Dabas $2,598

Chiang Mai is about 27% cheaper than Dabas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Dabas are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Dabas 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$11.32 Ft 3,679

-81.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$36.91 Ft 12.0K

-49.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$9.03 Ft 2,933

-37.98%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.50 Ft 488

10.67%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$1.30 Ft 421

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.44 Ft 143

-31.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.71 Ft 555

35.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$1.54 Ft 499

138.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.19 Ft 387

69.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$1.49 Ft 484

-5.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$2.46 Ft 800

-43.50%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$3.32 Ft 1,078

-28.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$10.09 Ft 3,280

63.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$6.74 Ft 2,191

-60.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$15.89 Ft 5,164

-43.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.44 Ft 793

-1.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$2.26 Ft 735

-53.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.65 Ft 862

-37.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$3.87 Ft 1,257

-59.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$1.14 Ft 370

8.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$1.39 Ft 451

-21.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$1.87 Ft 606

-59.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.54 Ft 175

-5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$7.70 Ft 2,503

-46.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$4.53 Ft 1,471

295.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.30 Ft 422

24.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$2.63 Ft 853

7.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$1.20 Ft 391

-22.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$26.73 Ft 8,687

97.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$3.34 Ft 1,085

-64.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$1.32 Ft 429

-87.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$24.60 Ft 7,995

-92.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$1.49 Ft 485

-1.34%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$27.2K Ft 8.9M

-22.87%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$35.5K Ft 11.5M

-25.39%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$167 Ft 54.3K

-62.56%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$20.52 Ft 6,669

-43.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$20.78 Ft 6,752

-2.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$50.4 Ft 16.4K

-24.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$18.35 Ft 5,963

-79.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$8.78 Ft 2,852

-25.85%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$423 Ft 137.4K

71.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$7,536 Ft 2.4M

119.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$98.5 Ft 32.0K

-45.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$51.9 Ft 16.9K

-52.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$96.7 Ft 31.4K

-6.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$109 Ft 35.4K

-33.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$532 Ft 173.0K

-9.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$391 Ft 127.2K

-20.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$766 Ft 249.0K

38.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$660 Ft 214.5K

-0.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$3,203 Ft 1.0M

-24.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$2,475 Ft 804.1K

-34.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-30.37%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Dabas: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Dabas

$391 30.5% 26.3% $82

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Dabas

$258 20.1% 9.1% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Dabas

$160 12.5% 47.9% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Dabas

$208 16.3% 121% $114

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Dabas

$154 12% 101% $78

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Dabas

$41 3.2% 29.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Dabas

$68 5.3% 33.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $532 in Dabas. 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 $37 in Dabas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $258 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇭🇺 Dabas

🕒 Local time

12:23 12:23 PM

06:23 6:23 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

17,542

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Dabas 7,720 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Dabas

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 Dabas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dabas costs about 37% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,923 in Dabas. 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 $481 there versus $532 in Dabas.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $423 in Dabas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Dabas, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,282 in Dabas. 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,282 in Dabas. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.