Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Koszalin

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,285 in Koszalin, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Koszalin, Poland
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Koszalin
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,285
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,285 in Koszalin, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Koszalin $1,285

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,906 in Koszalin, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Koszalin $1,906

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,527 in Koszalin, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Koszalin $2,527

Chiang Mai is about 27% cheaper than Koszalin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Koszalin are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Koszalin 6% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Koszalin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.6
$8.34 zł 32.87
-73.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿641
$38.69 zł 153
-50.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿187
$8.79 zł 34.68
-36.86%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.5
$2.89 zł 11.39
-42.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.53
$1.63 zł 6.41
-60.74%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.30
$1.25 zł 4.93
-75.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.5
$3.88 zł 15.30
-39.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$2.59 zł 10.23
41.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Koszalin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.7
$0.91 zł 3.60
114.29%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.45
$1.13 zł 4.45
27.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.01
$0.79 zł 3.11
68.35%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.0
$2.87 zł 11.34
-20.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿555
$8.58 zł 33.82
91.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿93.8
$6.49 zł 25.59
-57.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$9.13 zł 35.99
1.97%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.4
$0.82 zł 3.22
186.59%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.78
$1.11 zł 4.39
-12.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$1.75 zł 6.92
-8.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$2.24 zł 8.82
-33.04%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.10
$0.60 zł 2.38
113.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.17
$0.79 zł 3.11
39.24%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.81
$0.91 zł 3.59
-21.98%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.36
$0.53 zł 2.10
-7.55%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$4.82 zł 18.99
-14.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿591
$6.16 zł 24.29
184.42%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$1.09 zł 4.29
47.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿93.9
$1.38 zł 5.43
101.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Koszalin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.29
$1.05 zł 4.12
-17.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,825
$27.89 zł 110
93.94%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.03
$2.07 zł 8.16
-43.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.79
$0.67 zł 2.65
-20.90%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.7
$8.87 zł 34.98
-72.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.87
$1.57 zł 6.20
-7.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿710.3K
$29.7K zł 117.1K
-29.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿908.7K
$27.8K zł 109.7K
-3.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Koszalin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,097
$292 zł 1,153
-78.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿410
$10.32 zł 40.70
17.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿679
$17.17 zł 67.7
17.18%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Koszalin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,259
$35.21 zł 139
5.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$7.81 zł 30.79
-16.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Koszalin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.8K
$522 zł 2,057
41.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.0K
$7,944 zł 31.3K
85.86%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Koszalin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,800
$86.2 zł 340
-38.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿831
$47.55 zł 187
-48.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,086
$92.4 zł 364
-0.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,426
$100 zł 395
-28.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Koszalin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$638 zł 2,514
-24.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$382 zł 1,508
-19.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿33.9K
$1,025 zł 4,042
-1.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$747 zł 2,945
-15.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.7K
$2,130 zł 8,398
10.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.6K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Koszalin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
$1,234 zł 4,865
-52.19%
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 Koszalin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Koszalin
$382 23.8% $73
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Koszalin
$184 21.7% $51
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Koszalin
$147 35.1% $38
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Koszalin
$320 239% $225
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Koszalin
$164 111% $86
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Koszalin
$38 38.9% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Koszalin
$51 1.1% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $638 in Koszalin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Koszalin are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $39 in Koszalin. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $184 in Koszalin – so Koszalin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇵🇱 Koszalin
🕒 Local time
03:55 3:55 AM
21:55 9:55 PM
6 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
105,143
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.94 PLN (1 PLN = 0.254 USD). 1 EUR = 4.42 PLN (1 PLN = 0.226 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Koszalin 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Koszalin

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 Koszalin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Koszalin?
Koszalin costs about 37% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Koszalin?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,927 in Koszalin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Koszalin?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $638 in Koszalin.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Koszalin?
Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $522 in Koszalin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Koszalin?
Interestingly, groceries are about 22% cheaper in Koszalin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Can you live on $800/month in Chiang Mai or in Koszalin?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,285 in Koszalin. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Koszalin?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Chiang Mai or to Koszalin?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Koszalin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Chiang Mai vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?