Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Karditsa

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,310 in Karditsa, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Karditsa
Learn more

Karditsa Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Karditsa

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,310 in Karditsa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Karditsa $1,310

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,965 in Karditsa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Karditsa $1,965

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,621 in Karditsa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Karditsa $2,621

Chiang Mai is about 29% cheaper than Karditsa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Karditsa are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Karditsa 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$11.10 €9.94

-79.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$58.3 €52.2

-67.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.91 €7.08

-29.84%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.98 €2.67

-43.96%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.93 €1.72

-66.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.59 €0.52

-47.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$4.54 €4.06

-48.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$5.12 €4.59

-28.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.65 €1.48

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.31 €1.17

9.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.21 €1.08

9.92%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.16 €2.83

-27.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$11.25 €10.08

46.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$9.87 €8.84

-71.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.42 €12.91

-35.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.67 €1.50

40.72%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$2.09 €1.87

-53.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.42 €1.27

12.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.82 €0.73

82.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.85 €0.76

50.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.71 €0.63

54.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.86 €0.77

-17.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.98 €0.88

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.50 €4.92

-24.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.44 €6.67

135.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.85 €0.76

89.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$0.87 €0.78

219.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$1.31 €1.17

-33.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$50.4 €45.18

7.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$2.18 €1.95

-46.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.15 €1.03

-53.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$16.87 €15.10

-85.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$2.27 €2.04

-36.12%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$28.3K €25.3K

-25.48%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$23.7K €21.2K

13.57%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$173 €155

-64.06%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$25.89 €23.19

-52.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$27.02 €24.20

-25.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$38.25 €34.26

-2.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$25.17 €22.55

-85.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.68 €6.88

-15.49%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$479 €429

53.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$4,699 €4,208

214.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$82.4 €73.8

-35.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$38.71 €34.67

-36.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$79.8 €71.4

14.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$102 €91.3

-29.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$537 €481

-10.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$395 €354

-21.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$725 €649

38.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$552 €495

14.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$2,418 €2,165

-2.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,967 €1,762

-19.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$833 €746

-29.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.38

27.17%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Karditsa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Karditsa

$395 30.1% 27.8% $86

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Karditsa

$244 18.7% 4.2% $9.9

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Karditsa

$136 10.4% 25.4% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Karditsa

$226 17.3% 139% $131

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Karditsa

$191 14.6% 147% $114

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Karditsa

$64 4.9% 3.7% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Karditsa

$54 4.1% 6.6% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $537 in Karditsa. 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 41% higher in Karditsa. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $58 in Karditsa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $244 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇬🇷 Karditsa

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

22:06 10:06 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

38,554

💱 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Karditsa 7,610 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Karditsa

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 Karditsa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karditsa costs about 40% 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 $1,965 in Karditsa. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $537 in Karditsa.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $479 in Karditsa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Karditsa, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,310 in Karditsa. 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 $1,310 in Karditsa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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