Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kastoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,303 in Kastoria, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Kastoria
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Kastoria Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Kastoria

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,303 in Kastoria, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Kastoria $1,303

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,111 in Kastoria, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Kastoria $2,111

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,918 in Kastoria, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Kastoria $2,918

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$16.72 €14.92

-87.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$68.4 €61.0

-72.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$11.10 €9.90

-49.55%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$3.93 €3.51

-57.76%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$2.21 €1.98

-70.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.75 €0.67

-60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$3.96 €3.53

-41.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$3.29 €2.94

11.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.76 €1.57

14.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$1.76 €1.57

-19.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$3.61 €3.22

-61.50%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$5.49 €4.90

-56.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$14.33 €12.78

15.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$11.15 €9.95

-76.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$18.50 €16.50

-51.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.56 €2.28

-6.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$2.15 €1.92

-51.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.09 €1.86

-20.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$2.74 €2.45

-43.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$1.22 €1.09

1.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$1.16 €1.03

-6.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$1.52 €1.36

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.83 €0.74

-38.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$5.70 €5.08

-27.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$10.26 €9.15

74.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$2.06 €1.84

-21.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$3.31 €2.95

-14.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$0.75 €0.67

24.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$33.50 €29.88

57.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$4.50 €4.01

-73.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$1.14 €1.02

-85.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$17.02 €15.18

-89.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$2.02 €1.80

-27.23%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$27.4K €24.4K

-23.30%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$27.9K €24.9K

-5.07%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$223 €199

-71.97%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$23.47 €20.93

-50.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$31.61 €28.19

-35.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$32.24 €28.75

17.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$6.82 €6.08

-4.55%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$477 €426

52.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$11.5K €10.3K

43.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$96.5 €86.1

-44.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$45.09 €40.22

-45.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$127 €113

-28.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$132 €118

-45.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$282 €252

70.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$167 €149

85.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$518 €462

104.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$394 €351

67.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$952 €850

153.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$731 €652

120.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$618 €551

-3.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.34

4.31%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kastoria: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Kastoria

$167 12.8% 46.2% $143

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Kastoria

$333 25.6% 40.7% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Kastoria

$180 13.8% 66.5% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kastoria

$278 21.4% 195% $184

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Kastoria

$253 19.4% 230% $176

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Kastoria

$47 3.6% 20.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Kastoria

$46 3.5% 9.9% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $282 in Kastoria. 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 4% higher in Kastoria, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $68 in Kastoria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $333 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇬🇷 Kastoria

🕒 Local time

16:23 4:23 PM

11:23 11:23 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

13,387

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Kastoria 7,650 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kastoria

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 Kastoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kastoria 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,955 in Kastoria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kastoria, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $282 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $477 in Kastoria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Kastoria, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,303 in Kastoria. 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 $1,303 in Kastoria. 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, Kastoria makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.