Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Loures

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,619 in Loures, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
77

Cost of Living Index in Loures
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Loures Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Loures

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,619 in Loures, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Loures $1,619

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,409 in Loures, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Loures $2,409

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,198 in Loures, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Loures $3,198

Chiang Mai is about 42% cheaper than Loures, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Loures is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$12.13 €10.86

-81.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$55.8 €49.98

-65.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.77 €7.86

-36.72%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.52 €2.26

-33.73%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.73 €1.55

-63.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.17 €1.05

-73.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.83 €2.54

-16.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.38 €3.02

8.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.02 €0.92

91.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.20 €1.08

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.58 €1.42

-15.82%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.51 €3.14

-35.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.81 €7.89

86.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$7.68 €6.88

-63.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$15.20 €13.61

-38.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.02 €2.70

-22.19%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.31 €1.17

-25.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.80 €1.61

-11.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.30 €2.06

-34.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$2.03 €1.82

-36.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.70 €1.52

-35.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.49 €1.34

-52.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.66 €0.59

-25.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.64 €5.05

-26.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$3.43 €3.08

410.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.91 €0.82

76.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.49 €2.23

11.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$2.21 €1.98

-60.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$40.34 €36.13

34.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$3.96 €3.55

-70.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.80 €0.71

-33.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$16.47 €14.75

-85.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$2.14 €1.92

-32.24%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$34.2K €30.6K

-38.34%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$38.8K €34.8K

-30.59%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$100 €89.8

-37.97%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$20.44 €18.30

-40.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$34.61 €31.00

-41.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$36.61 €32.79

1.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$14.49 €12.98

-73.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.90 €7.08

-17.85%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$578 €518

27.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$11.1K €9,939

33.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$66.4 €59.4

-19.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$44.57 €39.92

-44.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$69.7 €62.4

31.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$93.6 €83.8

-23.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,106 €990

-56.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$810 €725

-61.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,725 €1,545

-41.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,292 €1,157

-50.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$3,172 €2,841

-25.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,080 €1,863

-23.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$828 €742

-28.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.55

56.90%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Loures: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Loures

$810 50% 162% $501

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Loures

$235 14.5% 0.1% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Loures

$123 7.6% 13.6% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Loures

$155 9.6% 64.4% $61

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Loures

$186 11.5% 140% $109

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Loures

$57 3.5% 6.9% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Loures

$52 3.2% 4.2% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,106 in Loures. 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 40% higher in Loures, 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 in Chiang Mai versus $56 in Loures. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇹 Loures

🕒 Local time

08:37 8:37 AM

01:37 1:37 AM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

201,632

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Loures 10,180 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Loures

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 Loures: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Loures costs about 73% 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 $2,428 in Loures. 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 $1,106 in Loures.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $56 in Loures. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 25% less in Loures. 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 $1,619 in Loures. 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 $1,619 in Loures. 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, Loures makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.