Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Johvi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,469 in Johvi, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Johvi
Learn more

Johvi Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Johvi

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,469

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,469 in Johvi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Johvi $1,469

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,222 in Johvi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Johvi $2,222

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,976 in Johvi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Johvi $2,976

Chiang Mai is about 36% cheaper than Johvi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Johvi is 9% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$16.87 €15.08

-87.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$87.8 €78.5

-78.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$11.75 €10.50

-52.34%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$4.26 €3.81

-61.03%

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

$0.65 ฿21.83

$2.14 €1.91

-69.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$2.22 €1.99

-86.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.4

$6.88 €6.15

-66.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$6.62 €5.92

-44.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.10 €0.98

83.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.51

$1.46 €1.31

-3.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.96

$2.93 €2.62

-52.56%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$3.29 €2.95

-27.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$11.05 €9.88

49.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$9.34 €8.36

-71.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$27.67 €24.75

-67.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.36 €2.11

1.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.13

$1.45 €1.30

-28.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.68 €2.40

-38.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$2.87 €2.57

-45.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.76

$0.81 €0.72

53.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.66

$0.76 €0.68

43.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$2.02 €1.81

-62.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$0.98 €0.88

-47.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$6.91 €6.18

-40.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$10.11 €9.04

77.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.95 €1.74

-16.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$2.01 €1.80

40.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

$1.09 €0.98

-14.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.70

$6.20 €5.55

-80.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.79

$1.20 €1.07

-85.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$25.95 €23.20

-93.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$1.93 €1.73

-23.83%

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

$21.0K ฿708.9K

$28.4K €25.4K

-25.92%

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

$26.5K ฿894.6K

$30.7K €27.5K

-13.72%

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

$62.6 ฿2,111

$342 €306

-81.71%

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

$11.60 ฿392

$17.69 €15.82

-34.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$31.81 €28.44

-36.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$22.53 €20.15

68.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$13.34 €11.93

-51.20%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$722 €645

0.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.2K

$9,932 €8,881

66.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,807

$102 €91.0

-47.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿837

$50.9 €45.48

-51.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,050

$120 €107

-24.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$132 €118

-45.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$396 €354

21.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$226 €202

37.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$456 €408

132.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$274 €245

139.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$1,358 €1,214

-56.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.44

61.92%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Johvi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Johvi

$226 15.4% 27.1% $84

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Johvi

$317 21.6% 33.9% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Johvi

$182 12.4% 68.2% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Johvi

$392 26.7% 315% $297

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Johvi

$286 19.5% 274% $210

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Johvi

$17 * 1.1% 71.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Johvi

$49 3.4% 3.3% $1.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $396 in Johvi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Johvi are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $88 in Johvi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $317 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇪 Johvi

🕒 Local time

10:35 10:35 AM

05:35 5:35 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

11,600

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Johvi 7,180 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Johvi

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 Johvi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johvi costs about 57% 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 $2,203 in Johvi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Johvi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $396 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $88 in Johvi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Johvi, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,469 in Johvi. 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 $1,469 in Johvi. 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, Johvi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.