Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Esztergom

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,293 in Esztergom, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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 Esztergom
Learn more

Esztergom Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Esztergom

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,293

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,293 in Esztergom, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Esztergom $1,293

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,975 in Esztergom, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Esztergom $1,975

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,657 in Esztergom, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Esztergom $2,657

Chiang Mai is about 28% cheaper than Esztergom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Esztergom are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Esztergom 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$12.34 Ft 4,009

-82.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$52.1 Ft 16.9K

-64.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$9.31 Ft 3,025

-39.85%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$2.54 Ft 825

-34.65%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$1.88 Ft 612

-65.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$1.19 Ft 388

-74.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$2.99 Ft 973

-22.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.74 Ft 889

33.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.21 Ft 392

66.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$1.44 Ft 467

-2.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$2.42 Ft 785

-42.56%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$3.07 Ft 999

-22.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$10.79 Ft 3,507

53.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$6.08 Ft 1,977

-56.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$13.39 Ft 4,351

-32.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.35 Ft 762

2.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$2.04 Ft 662

-49.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.04 Ft 661

-18.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$3.88 Ft 1,260

-59.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$1.18 Ft 384

5.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$1.30 Ft 423

-16.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$1.77 Ft 574

-57.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.49 Ft 159

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$7.55 Ft 2,453

-45.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$5.95 Ft 1,935

201.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.26 Ft 409

28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$1.57 Ft 509

79.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$1.24 Ft 403

-25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$26.75 Ft 8,693

97.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$2.99 Ft 970

-60.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$1.49 Ft 485

-88.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$18.48 Ft 6,006

-90.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$1.88 Ft 612

-21.81%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$32.1K Ft 10.4M

-34.48%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$35.4K Ft 11.5M

-25.16%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$150 Ft 48.8K

-58.31%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$32.97 Ft 10.7K

-64.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$26.93 Ft 8,752

-24.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$49.74 Ft 16.2K

-23.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$17.97 Ft 5,838

-79.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$7.64 Ft 2,483

-14.79%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$244 Ft 79.4K

197.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$7,630 Ft 2.5M

117.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$86.6 Ft 28.1K

-38.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$27.01 Ft 8,778

-8.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$96.3 Ft 31.3K

-6.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$106 Ft 34.4K

-32.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$528 Ft 171.6K

-8.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$400 Ft 130.1K

-22.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$744 Ft 241.8K

42.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$647 Ft 210.2K

1.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$3,191 Ft 1.0M

-24.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$2,443 Ft 794.0K

-34.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$1,158 Ft 376.4K

-48.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.25

-32.48%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Esztergom: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Esztergom

$400 31% 29.2% $90

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Esztergom

$243 18.8% 2.8% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Esztergom

$142 11% 31.2% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Esztergom

$210 16.2% 122% $116

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Esztergom

$190 14.7% 148% $113

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Esztergom

$42 3.3% 28.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Esztergom

$65 5% 27.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $528 in Esztergom. 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 95% higher in Esztergom. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $52 in Esztergom. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $243 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇭🇺 Esztergom

🕒 Local time

12:26 12:26 PM

06:26 6:26 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

28,642

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Esztergom 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Esztergom

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 Esztergom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Esztergom costs about 38% 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 $1,939 in Esztergom. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $481 in Chiang Mai and $528 in Esztergom. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $244 in Esztergom. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Esztergom, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,293 in Esztergom. 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 $1,293 in Esztergom. 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.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Esztergom makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.