Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Louny

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,533 in Louny, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Louny
Learn more

Louny Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Louny

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,533

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,533 in Louny, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Louny $1,533

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,113 in Louny, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Louny $2,113

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,692 in Louny, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Louny $2,692

Chiang Mai is about 39% cheaper than Louny, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 30% below the global median, while Louny is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.6

$8.93 Kč 194

-74.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿643

$50.2 Kč 1,090

-61.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$8.11 Kč 176

-31.07%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.8

$3.10 Kč 67.4

-44.52%

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

$0.64 ฿21.60

$1.62 Kč 35.17

-60.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.21

$1.16 Kč 25.29

-71.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.0

$2.20 Kč 47.71

7.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿131

$2.46 Kč 53.4

58.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.8

$1.08 Kč 23.50

89.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.83

$1.58 Kč 34.24

-11.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.01

$2.98 Kč 64.7

-57.05%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.5

$3.08 Kč 67.0

-26.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿568

$13.92 Kč 302

21.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.9

$7.26 Kč 158

-62.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿314

$11.17 Kč 243

-16.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.5

$1.78 Kč 38.73

34.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿34.01

$1.61 Kč 35.05

-37.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿54.0

$1.63 Kč 35.39

-1.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.9

$2.10 Kč 45.63

-27.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.02

$1.26 Kč 27.39

1.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.32

$1.22 Kč 26.58

-9.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.16

$0.96 Kč 20.77

-25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.58

$0.78 Kč 16.95

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$6.60 Kč 143

-34.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿594

$6.90 Kč 150

156.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.6

$1.39 Kč 30.28

17.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.6

$1.68 Kč 36.47

69.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.39

$0.76 Kč 16.56

11.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,806

$24.84 Kč 540

116.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.28

$2.07 Kč 44.99

-43.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.05

$1.05 Kč 22.74

-45.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.4

$13.04 Kč 283

-81.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$1.88 Kč 40.87

-22.87%

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

$20.5K ฿686.1K

$29.9K Kč 650.5K

-31.61%

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

$26.5K ฿888.5K

$24.0K Kč 522.4K

10.26%

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

$62.3 ฿2,089

$273 Kč 5,929

-77.16%

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

$12.27 ฿411

$16.77 Kč 364

-26.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿669

$16.43 Kč 357

21.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,271

$52.3 Kč 1,136

-27.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$14.97 Kč 325

-74.88%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿225

$8.35 Kč 181

-19.64%

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

$797 ฿26.7K

$330 Kč 7,177

141.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.0K

$10.7K Kč 233.2K

38.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,785

$78.3 Kč 1,701

-31.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿839

$43.19 Kč 938

-42.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,070

$86.2 Kč 1,872

6.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,462

$109 Kč 2,373

-32.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.6K

$621 Kč 13.5K

-25.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$579 Kč 12.6K

-47.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.7K

$972 Kč 21.1K

-5.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$696 Kč 15.1K

-20.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿64.1K

$4,485 Kč 97.4K

-57.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.2K

$3,475 Kč 75.5K

-58.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$1,160 Kč 25.2K

-48.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.8

16.04%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Louny: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Louny

$579 37.7% 90% $274

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Louny

$242 15.8% 1.5% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Louny

$143 9.3% 30.2% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Louny

$306 20% 224% $212

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Louny

$160 10.4% 103% $81

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Louny

$35 2.3% 42.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Louny

$69 4.5% 34.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $621 in Louny. 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 95% higher in Louny, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $50.0 in Louny. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $242 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇿 Louny

🕒 Local time

22:37 10:37 PM

17:37 5:37 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

18,864

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 CZK = 4.6 USD

100 CZK = 4.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CZK, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 33.51 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.53 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 21.73 CZK (100 CZK = 4.6 USD). 1 EUR = 24.33 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Louny 8,080 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Louny

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 Louny: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Louny costs about 63% 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,300 in Louny. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $330 in Louny. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 2% more in Louny, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Louny at $1,533. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Louny it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,533 in Louny. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Louny makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.