Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Katowice

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,447 in Katowice, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Katowice
Learn more

Katowice Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Katowice

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,447 in Katowice, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Katowice $1,447

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,057 in Katowice, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Katowice $2,057

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,668 in Katowice, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Katowice $2,668

Chiang Mai is about 35% cheaper than Katowice, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Katowice is 6% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$10.16 zł 40.22

-77.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$34.95 zł 138

-45.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$8.73 zł 34.54

-36.43%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.51 zł 13.89

-52.42%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$2.73 zł 10.81

-76.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$2.61 zł 10.33

-88.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.60 zł 14.23

-34.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.51 zł 17.85

-18.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.97 zł 3.86

101.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.25 zł 4.93

15.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.49 zł 5.90

-10.74%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.33 zł 13.18

-31.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$7.86 zł 31.09

109.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$5.46 zł 21.59

-49.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$13.59 zł 53.8

-31.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.08 zł 4.27

117.59%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.45 zł 5.74

-33.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.47 zł 5.81

8.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.54 zł 10.06

-40.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.96 zł 3.80

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.81 zł 3.21

35.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.27 zł 5.03

-44.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.63 zł 2.50

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.80 zł 22.97

-28.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$6.24 zł 24.68

180.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.00 zł 3.95

61.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.61 zł 6.35

72.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$1.14 zł 4.51

-23.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$30.60 zł 121

76.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.82 zł 7.19

-36.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.69 zł 2.71

-23.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$10.68 zł 42.25

-77.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.72 zł 6.82

-15.70%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$30.5K zł 120.9K

-31.04%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$27.0K zł 107.0K

-0.37%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$283 zł 1,119

-78.01%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$7.72 zł 30.55

57.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$17.37 zł 68.7

15.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$33.83 zł 134

10.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$17.76 zł 70.3

-78.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.47 zł 29.55

-13.12%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$554 zł 2,194

32.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$12.2K zł 48.2K

21.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$67.4 zł 267

-20.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$31.10 zł 123

-20.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$88.7 zł 351

3.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$93.0 zł 368

-22.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$683 zł 2,703

-29.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$522 zł 2,067

-40.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,008 zł 3,988

-0.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$829 zł 3,282

-23.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$3,145 zł 12.4K

-24.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$2,003 zł 7,927

-20.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,752 zł 6,933

-66.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.19

-22.53%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Katowice: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Katowice

$522 36.1% 69.1% $213

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Katowice

$204 14.1% 13.1% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Katowice

$126 8.7% 16% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Katowice

$308 21.3% 226% $213

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Katowice

$198 13.7% 155% $120

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Katowice

$40 2.8% 34.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Katowice

$49 3.4% 3% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $683 in Katowice. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Katowice are about 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 $35 in Katowice. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $204 in Katowice – so Katowice wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇱 Katowice

🕒 Local time

02:59 2:59 AM

20:59 8:59 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

286,960

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 PLN = 0.253 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.96 PLN (1 PLN = 0.253 USD). 1 EUR = 4.41 PLN (1 PLN = 0.227 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Katowice 7,710 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Katowice

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 Katowice: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Katowice costs about 55% 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 $2,171 in Katowice. 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 $683 in Katowice.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $554 in Katowice. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 13% cheaper in Katowice – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,447 in Katowice. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,447 in Katowice. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Katowice makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.