Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Lake Balaton Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Lake Balaton

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 11.7% cheaper than Lake Balaton without rent, and 22.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 20.2% cheaper than Lake Balaton without rent, and 19.1% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Lake Balaton
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.03 ฿64.8
$8.37 Ft 2,854
-75.75%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.59 ฿594
$46.03 Ft 15.7K
-59.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.48 ฿239
$8.54 Ft 2,913
-12.41%
Cappuccino
$2.00 ฿63.8
$1.99 Ft 679
0.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 ฿27.08
$1.43 Ft 488
-40.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.35 ฿11.24
$0.98 Ft 334
-64.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.21 ฿70.7
$1.89 Ft 645
16.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.76 ฿120
$2.21 Ft 752
70.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Lake Balaton
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 ฿54.9
$1.09 Ft 372
57.80%
White Bread (500g)
$1.63 ฿52.2
$1.57 Ft 534
3.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.16 ฿37.04
$1.84 Ft 628
-36.96%
Eggs
$1.98 ฿63.3
$2.70 Ft 920
-26.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.93 ฿509
$9.09 Ft 3,099
75.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.17 ฿101
$6.04 Ft 2,061
-47.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿349
$12.00 Ft 4,092
-9.17%
Apples (1kg)
$2.65 ฿84.6
$1.80 Ft 614
47.22%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 ฿39.09
$1.97 Ft 672
-38.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.70 ฿54.3
$2.06 Ft 703
-17.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.59 ฿50.8
$2.96 Ft 1,008
-46.28%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 ฿42.33
$1.11 Ft 379
18.92%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 ฿37.36
$1.18 Ft 401
-0.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 ฿21.67
$1.47 Ft 501
-53.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ฿17.81
$0.56 Ft 190
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.51 ฿144
$6.60 Ft 2,249
-31.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.07 ฿610
$5.93 Ft 2,020
221.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿56.6
$1.07 Ft 363
65.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 ฿102
$1.42 Ft 483
123.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Lake Balaton
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.96 ฿30.78
$1.13 Ft 385
-15.04%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.90 ฿604
$25.20 Ft 8,591
-25.00%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 ฿43.41
$2.93 Ft 999
-53.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 ฿43.23
$1.11 Ft 377
21.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.03 ฿257
$17.15 Ft 5,847
-53.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 ฿39.74
$1.70 Ft 580
-27.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ฿676.6K
$25.8K Ft 8.8M
-17.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K ฿695.5K
$30.9K Ft 10.5M
-29.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Lake Balaton
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$71.2 ฿2,277
$141 Ft 48.0K
-49.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.09 ฿450
$26.45 Ft 9,018
-46.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.47 ฿559
$19.57 Ft 6,673
-10.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Lake Balaton
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.07 ฿1,345
$45.91 Ft 15.7K
-8.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.88 ฿220
$16.47 Ft 5,616
-58.23%
Cinema Ticket
$5.94 ฿190
$7.45 Ft 2,540
-20.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Lake Balaton
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$307 ฿9,827
$296 Ft 100.8K
3.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿473.0K
$6,535 Ft 2.2M
126.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Lake Balaton
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.7 ฿1,780
$72.2 Ft 24.6K
-22.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.79 ฿856
$26.80 Ft 9,137
-0.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.2 ฿2,661
$71.5 Ft 24.4K
16.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.1 ฿2,241
$80.2 Ft 27.3K
-12.61%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Lake Balaton
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$427 ฿13.7K
$452 Ft 154.0K
-5.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$237 ฿7,580
$342 Ft 116.7K
-30.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$802 ฿25.6K
$637 Ft 217.0K
25.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$503 ฿16.1K
$535 Ft 182.3K
-5.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,061 ฿65.9K
$2,982 Ft 1.0M
-30.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,533 ฿49.0K
$2,284 Ft 778.6K
-32.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Lake Balaton
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$654 ฿20.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
7.4
-32.43%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

Last update for Lake Balaton: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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