Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Daugavpils

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,353 in Daugavpils, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Daugavpils, Latvia
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Daugavpils
🇱🇻 Latvia
$1,353
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,353 in Daugavpils, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Daugavpils $1,353

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,951 in Daugavpils, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Daugavpils $1,951

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,548 in Daugavpils, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Daugavpils $2,548

Chiang Mai is about 31% cheaper than Daugavpils, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Daugavpils
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.7
$10.20 €9.16
-78.04%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿642
$64.2 €57.7
-70.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿188
$6.03 €5.42
-7.96%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.6
$3.14 €2.82
-46.82%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.56
$1.58 €1.42
-59.49%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.32
$1.19 €1.07
-73.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.6
$4.14 €3.72
-43.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$4.54 €4.08
-19.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Daugavpils
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.8
$1.17 €1.05
66.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.51
$1.45 €1.30
-0.69%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.07
$2.52 €2.26
-47.22%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.1
$3.17 €2.85
-28.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿556
$10.60 €9.52
55.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$8.19 €7.36
-66.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$14.00 €12.58
-33.50%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.5
$1.43 €1.29
64.34%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.82
$1.64 €1.48
-40.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$2.50 €2.24
-36.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.7
$2.66 €2.39
-43.61%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.15
$0.82 €0.73
56.10%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.22
$0.87 €0.78
26.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.84
$1.25 €1.12
-43.20%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.38
$0.72 €0.65
-31.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$4.78 €4.30
-13.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿592
$7.61 €6.84
130.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$1.39 €1.25
15.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$1.86 €1.67
49.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Daugavpils
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.33
$1.14 €1.02
-23.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,827
$50.4 €45.23
7.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.08
$2.30 €2.07
-49.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.82
$0.54 €0.48
-1.85%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.8
$8.25 €7.41
-70.67%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.93
$1.97 €1.77
-26.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿711.2K
$27.2K €24.5K
-22.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿909.8K
$29.6K €26.5K
-8.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Daugavpils
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,100
$377 €339
-83.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿411
$19.74 €17.73
-38.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿680
$16.68 €14.98
20.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Daugavpils
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,260
$25.71 €23.09
45.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
$38.50 €34.58
-90.21%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$7.95 €7.14
-18.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Daugavpils
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.9K
$719 €646
2.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.6K
$17.8K €16.0K
-16.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Daugavpils
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,802
$68.5 €61.5
-22.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿832
$33.35 €29.96
-26.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,089
$84.5 €75.9
8.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,429
$112 €100
-35.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Daugavpils
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$334 €300
44.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$278 €250
11.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿34.0K
$718 €645
40.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$317 €285
99.83%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.8K
$1,592 €1,430
48.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.7K
$857 €770
85.32%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Daugavpils
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
$977 €878
-39.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
4.1
35.85%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Daugavpils: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Daugavpils
$278 10.1% $31
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Daugavpils
$248 5.7% $13
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Daugavpils
$134 23.4% $25
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Daugavpils
$414 338% $319
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Daugavpils
$178 130% $101
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Daugavpils
$60 2.4% $1.5
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Daugavpils
$42 17.3% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $334 in Daugavpils. 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 66% higher in Daugavpils. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $64 in Daugavpils. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $248 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇱🇻 Daugavpils
🕒 Local time
02:59 2:59 AM
21:59 9:59 PM
5 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
101,057
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Daugavpils 7,200 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Daugavpils

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 Daugavpils: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Daugavpils?
Daugavpils costs about 45% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Daugavpils?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,030 in Daugavpils. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Daugavpils?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Daugavpils, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $334 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Daugavpils?
Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $719 in Daugavpils. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Daugavpils?
Groceries cost about 6% more in Daugavpils, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Chiang Mai or in Daugavpils?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,353 in Daugavpils. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Chiang Mai or Daugavpils?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,353 in Daugavpils. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Daugavpils?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Chiang Mai or to Daugavpils?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Daugavpils makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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