Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Gulbene

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,289 in Gulbene, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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 Gulbene
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Gulbene Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Gulbene

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,289 in Gulbene, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Gulbene $1,289

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,973 in Gulbene, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Gulbene $1,973

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,657 in Gulbene, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Gulbene $2,657

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

Both Chiang Mai and Gulbene are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Gulbene 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$16.73 €14.88

-86.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$68.5 €60.9

-71.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$9.45 €8.41

-40.63%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.82 €3.40

-56.54%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.59 €1.41

-55.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$1.20 €1.07

-74.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$5.57 €4.95

-56.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$5.18 €4.61

-28.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.19 €1.06

63.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.50 €1.33

-6.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$2.54 €2.26

-48.43%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$3.72 €3.30

-41.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$10.70 €9.52

55.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$8.74 €7.77

-68.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$13.98 €12.43

-34.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.09 €1.86

14.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.77 €1.57

-41.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.56 €2.27

-36.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$3.25 €2.89

-53.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.88 €0.79

46.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.95 €0.84

16.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.77 €1.57

-59.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.98 €0.87

-45.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$6.53 €5.81

-34.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$8.02 €7.14

123.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$2.01 €1.79

-21.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.02 €1.79

40.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$3.41 €3.03

-64.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.99 €0.88

-42.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$17.96 €15.97

-86.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$2.12 €1.89

-32.08%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$27.3K €24.3K

-24.10%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$29.7K €26.4K

-9.82%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$368 €328

-83.08%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$19.94 €17.74

-39.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$19.84 €17.65

0.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$11.06 €9.83

-41.23%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$674 €599

17.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$18.4K €16.4K

-19.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$70.2 €62.4

-23.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$51.0 €45.33

-51.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$86.2 €76.7

5.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$136 €121

-47.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$190 €169

139.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$168 €149

77.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$352 €313

158.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$332 €295

66.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$681 €605

183.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$568 €505

154.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.77

16.77%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Gulbene: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Gulbene

$168 13% 43.6% $130

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Gulbene

$271 21% 14.9% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Gulbene

$155 12% 42.9% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Gulbene

$408 31.7% 333% $314

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Gulbene

$257 20% 228% $179

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Gulbene

$8.3 * 0.7% 86.3% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Gulbene

$22 * 1.7% 55.8% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $190 in Gulbene. 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $69.0 in Gulbene. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $271 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇻 Gulbene

🕒 Local time

01:17 1:17 AM

21:17 9:17 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

7,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Gulbene 7,200 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Gulbene

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 Gulbene: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gulbene costs about 39% 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,934 in Gulbene. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $69.0 in Gulbene. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Gulbene, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Gulbene at $1,289. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gulbene it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,289 in Gulbene. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

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