Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Gence

For one person, living is cheaper in Gence: $714 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Gence
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Gence Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Gence

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $714 in Gence, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Gence $714

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,177 in Gence, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Gence $1,177

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,640 in Gence, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Gence $1,640

Chiang Mai costs about 31% more than Gence, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Gence are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Gence 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$6.92 ₼11.76

-67.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$29.15 ₼49.55

-34.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.29 ₼14.09

-33.05%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.73 ₼4.65

-38.83%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.92 ₼1.56

-30.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.48 ₼0.81

-35.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.16 ₼1.97

103.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$2.39 ₼4.07

53.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.35 ₼2.29

44.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.33 ₼0.55

336.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.68 ₼2.86

-20.83%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.18 ₼2.00

93.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$2.85 ₼4.84

477.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.58 ₼6.09

-22.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.63 ₼12.97

22.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$0.68 ₼1.16

245.59%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.30 ₼2.21

-25.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.43 ₼2.44

11.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.05 ₼1.79

42.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.61 ₼1.03

109.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.48 ₼0.82

129.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.44 ₼0.75

61.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.43 ₼0.73

13.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.56 ₼6.05

16.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$1.45 ₼2.46

1108.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$0.91 ₼1.54

76.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.72 ₼2.93

61.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.30 ₼0.51

190.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$14.77 ₼25.10

266.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.79 ₼3.05

-35.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.28 ₼0.47

89.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$2.42 ₼4.11

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.65 ₼1.10

123.08%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$20.9K ₼35.5K

0.72%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$22.2K ₼37.7K

21.49%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$33.49 ₼56.9

85.64%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$12.75 ₼21.67

-4.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$14.76 ₼25.09

36.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$20.28 ₼34.47

83.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$23.85 ₼40.53

-84.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.87 ₼9.97

10.56%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$239 ₼407

207.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$5,997 ₼10.2K

146.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$88.2 ₼150

-39.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$59.4 ₼101

-58.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$129 ₼220

-29.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$118 ₼201

-39.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$358 ₼609

34.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$174 ₼296

77.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$580 ₼986

73.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$355 ₼603

78.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$840 ₼1,427

181.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$471 ₼800

237.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$290 ₼493

103.36%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gence: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Gence

$174 24.4% 43.5% $134

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Gence

$120 16.9% 48.7% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Gence

$178 24.9% 63.7% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Gence

$61 8.5% 35.4% $33

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Gence

$129 18.1% 66.6% $52

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Gence

$19 2.7% 68.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Gence

$32 4.5% 36.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $358 in Gence. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $29 in Gence. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $120 in Gence – so Gence wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇦🇿 Gence

🕒 Local time

18:06 6:06 PM

15:06 3:06 PM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

335,800

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Azerbaijani Manat AZN ₼

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 AZN = 0.588 USD

1 AZN = 0.527 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AZN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Azerbaijani Manat exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.7 AZN (1 AZN = 0.588 USD). 1 EUR = 1.9 AZN (1 AZN = 0.527 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Gence 5,540 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Gence

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 Gence: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 31% more than Gence, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,071 in Gence. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gence, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $358 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $239 in Gence. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 95% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Gence – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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