Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kecskemet

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,171 in Kecskemet, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Kecskemet
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Kecskemet Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Kecskemet

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,171

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,171 in Kecskemet, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Kecskemet $1,171

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,730 in Kecskemet, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Kecskemet $1,730

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,289 in Kecskemet, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Kecskemet $2,289

Chiang Mai is about 20% cheaper than Kecskemet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Kecskemet are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kecskemet 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$9.30 Ft 3,065

-75.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$31.01 Ft 10.2K

-38.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.46 Ft 2,458

-25.60%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.55 Ft 509

7.74%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.57 Ft 519

-59.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.25 Ft 413

-75.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.30 Ft 758

2.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.22 Ft 732

64.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.14 Ft 375

71.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.28 Ft 422

12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.52 Ft 832

-47.22%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.66 Ft 1,208

-37.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$10.60 Ft 3,495

55.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$6.38 Ft 2,103

-56.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$13.73 Ft 4,527

-32.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.81 Ft 596

29.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.69 Ft 556

-42.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.84 Ft 607

-13.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.09 Ft 1,020

-51.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.97 Ft 320

31.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.10 Ft 361

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.20 Ft 396

-40.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.51 Ft 168

-3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.82 Ft 2,247

-39.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$3.74 Ft 1,232

368.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.23 Ft 405

30.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.97 Ft 650

41.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$1.11 Ft 367

-21.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$18.31 Ft 6,036

195.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.24 Ft 407

-6.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.63 Ft 538

-67.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$18.23 Ft 6,009

-86.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.82 Ft 600

-20.33%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$27.3K Ft 9.0M

-22.86%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$32.9K Ft 10.9M

-18.18%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$127 Ft 41.8K

-50.99%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$32.09 Ft 10.6K

-62.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$19.40 Ft 6,395

3.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$61.0 Ft 20.1K

-38.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$27.90 Ft 9,198

-86.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.71 Ft 2,542

-15.82%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$245 Ft 80.9K

200.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$6,732 Ft 2.2M

119.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$112 Ft 36.8K

-52.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$15.02 Ft 4,951

64.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$46.49 Ft 15.3K

96.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$77.2 Ft 25.4K

-6.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$496 Ft 163.6K

-2.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$400 Ft 131.8K

-22.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$691 Ft 227.8K

45.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$594 Ft 196.0K

6.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,336 Ft 770.2K

1.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$2,013 Ft 663.5K

-21.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,065 Ft 351.3K

-44.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.67

-16.49%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kecskemet: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Kecskemet

$400 34.1% 29.4% $91

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Kecskemet

$229 19.6% 2.1% $5

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Kecskemet

$113 9.6% 3.7% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kecskemet

$178 15.2% 88.8% $84

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Kecskemet

$143 12.2% 83.7% $65

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kecskemet

$32 2.7% 47.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kecskemet

$76 6.5% 52% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $496 in Kecskemet. 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 81% higher in Kecskemet. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $31 in Kecskemet. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $229 in Kecskemet – so Kecskemet wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇭🇺 Kecskemet

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

23:14 11:14 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

109,450

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, 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).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 330 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.03 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Kecskemet 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kecskemet

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 Kecskemet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kecskemet costs about 25% 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 $1,757 in Kecskemet. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $496 in Kecskemet. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

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

Public transport costs about 66% less in Kecskemet. 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 $1,171 in Kecskemet. 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 $1,171 in Kecskemet. 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, Kecskemet makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.