Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Floriana

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,950 in Floriana, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Floriana, Malta
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Floriana
🇲🇹 Malta
$1,950
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,950 in Floriana, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Floriana $1,950

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,874 in Floriana, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Floriana $2,874

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,797 in Floriana, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Floriana $3,797

Chiang Mai is about 52% cheaper than Floriana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Floriana is 43% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Floriana
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.7
$19.75 €17.74
-88.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿642
$88.3 €79.3
-78.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿188
$13.51 €12.13
-58.92%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.6
$2.69 €2.41
-37.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.56
$3.03 €2.72
-78.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.32
$2.18 €1.96
-85.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.6
$4.42 €3.97
-46.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$5.11 €4.59
-28.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Floriana
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.8
$1.40 €1.26
39.29%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.51
$1.37 €1.23
5.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.07
$4.23 €3.80
-68.56%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.1
$4.21 €3.78
-45.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿556
$8.48 €7.62
93.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$10.52 €9.45
-73.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$18.58 €16.69
-49.89%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.5
$4.28 €3.84
-45.09%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.82
$2.74 €2.46
-64.60%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$3.64 €3.27
-56.04%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.7
$3.37 €3.03
-55.49%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.15
$2.21 €1.99
-42.08%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.22
$1.94 €1.74
-43.30%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.84
$2.38 €2.14
-70.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.38
$1.34 €1.20
-63.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$6.70 €6.02
-38.21%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿592
$8.19 €7.36
113.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$1.65 €1.49
-2.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$2.44 €2.20
13.93%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Floriana
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.33
$2.26 €2.03
-61.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,827
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.08
$5.57 €5.01
-79.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.82
$2.30 €2.07
-76.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.8
$27.07 €24.32
-91.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.93
$1.54 €1.39
-5.84%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿711.2K
$37.3K €33.5K
-43.57%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿909.8K
$38.8K €34.8K
-30.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Floriana
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,100
$102 €91.6
-39.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿411
$25.81 €23.19
-52.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿680
$42.13 €37.85
-52.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Floriana
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,260
$65.0 €58.4
-42.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$10.12 €9.09
-35.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Floriana
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.9K
$366 €329
100.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.6K
$11.2K €10.0K
32.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Floriana
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,802
$86.4 €77.6
-38.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿832
$40.56 €36.44
-39.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,089
$100.0 €89.8
-8.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,429
$79.4 €71.3
-9.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Floriana
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$1,128 €1,013
-57.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$917 €824
-66.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿34.0K
$1,948 €1,749
-48.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$1,277 €1,147
-50.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.8K
$3,897 €3,501
-39.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.7K
$2,761 €2,480
-42.45%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Floriana
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
2.9
92.07%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Floriana: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Floriana
$917 197% $608
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Floriana
$330 40.8% $96
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Floriana
$138 26.9% $29
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Floriana
$170 79.8% $75
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Floriana
$284 266% $206
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Floriana
$26 * 57.4% $35
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Floriana
$85 69.5% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,128 in Floriana. 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 $88 in Floriana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $330 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇲🇹 Floriana
🕒 Local time
23:08 11:08 PM
17:08 5:08 PM
6 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
2,000
💱 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 = 37.58 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 Floriana 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Floriana

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 Floriana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Floriana?
Floriana costs about 108% 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 Floriana?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,925 in Floriana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Floriana?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,128 in Floriana.
How do dining costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Floriana?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $88 in Floriana. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Floriana?
Groceries cost about 41% more in Floriana, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $800/month in Chiang Mai or in Floriana?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,950 in Floriana. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Chiang Mai or Floriana?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,950 in Floriana. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Floriana?
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.

Chiang Mai vs other spots: cost of living compared

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