Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Jekabpils

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,188 in Jekabpils, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Jekabpils
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Jekabpils Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Jekabpils

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,188

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,188 in Jekabpils, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Jekabpils $1,188

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,776 in Jekabpils, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Jekabpils $1,776

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,364 in Jekabpils, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Jekabpils $2,364

Chiang Mai is about 21% cheaper than Jekabpils, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Jekabpils are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Jekabpils 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$12.35 €11.02

-81.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$31.09 €27.74

-38.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.08 €8.10

-38.88%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.34 €2.98

-50.00%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.03 €0.92

-37.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.97 €0.87

-68.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$5.64 €5.03

-58.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$5.17 €4.61

-29.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.11 €0.99

75.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$1.43 €1.28

0.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$2.45 €2.18

-45.71%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.30 €2.06

-0.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$10.31 €9.20

59.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.52 €5.82

-57.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$13.95 €12.44

-33.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.54 €1.37

52.60%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.68 €1.50

-42.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.94 €1.73

-17.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.25 €2.90

-53.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.89 €0.80

43.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.91 €0.81

20.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$1.67 €1.49

-57.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.75 €0.67

-34.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.73 €5.12

-27.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.88 €6.13

154.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.47 €1.32

9.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.66 €1.48

67.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$1.09 €0.97

-20.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$66.7 €59.5

-18.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$1.03 €0.92

12.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.37 €0.33

43.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$17.82 €15.90

-86.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.81 €1.61

-19.89%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$26.9K €24.0K

-21.83%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$29.3K €26.1K

-7.99%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$266 €237

-76.62%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$11.00 €9.81

10.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$16.41 €14.64

22.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$33.56 €29.95

11.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$13.48 €12.03

-72.03%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.89 €9.71

-40.40%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$603 €538

22.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$7,744 €6,909

90.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$69.3 €61.8

-22.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$28.49 €25.42

-13.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$87.1 €77.7

5.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$139 €124

-48.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$226 €202

113.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$171 €153

80.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$390 €348

157.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$332 €296

90.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$853 €761

177.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$794 €709

100.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$980 €874

-39.80%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Jekabpils: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Jekabpils

$171 14.4% 44.7% $138

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Jekabpils

$236 19.9% 0.8% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Jekabpils

$146 12.3% 34.2% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Jekabpils

$293 24.7% 211% $199

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Jekabpils

$213 17.9% 174% $135

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Jekabpils

$74 6.2% 20.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Jekabpils

$55 4.7% 10.1% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $226 in Jekabpils. 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 Jekabpils. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $31 in Jekabpils. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $236 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇻 Jekabpils

🕒 Local time

00:34 12:34 AM

19:34 7:34 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

22,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Jekabpils 7,240 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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Chiang Mai
Jekabpils

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 Jekabpils: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jekabpils costs about 27% 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 $1,782 in Jekabpils. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jekabpils, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $226 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $31 in Jekabpils. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 19% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,188 in Jekabpils. 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 $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,188 in Jekabpils. 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, Jekabpils makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.