Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Madona

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,128 in Madona, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Madona
Learn more

Madona Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Madona

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,128 in Madona, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Madona $1,128

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,730 in Madona, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Madona $1,730

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,331 in Madona, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Madona $2,331

Chiang Mai is about 18% cheaper than Madona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Madona are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Madona 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$16.87 €15.00

-86.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$66.8 €59.4

-70.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$9.28 €8.25

-39.55%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.75 €3.33

-55.73%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.57 €1.40

-55.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$1.20 €1.06

-74.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$5.60 €4.98

-56.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$4.91 €4.37

-24.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.20 €1.07

62.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.48 €1.32

-4.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$2.48 €2.21

-47.18%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$3.60 €3.20

-39.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$10.34 €9.20

61.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$8.48 €7.54

-67.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$13.57 €12.07

-32.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.09 €1.86

14.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.77 €1.57

-41.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.49 €2.21

-34.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$3.21 €2.85

-53.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.82 €0.73

57.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.90 €0.80

23.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.74 €1.55

-58.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.87 €0.78

-39.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$6.85 €6.09

-37.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$7.64 €6.79

134.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$2.02 €1.80

-21.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.09 €1.86

35.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$3.42 €3.05

-64.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.98 €0.87

-41.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$17.80 €15.83

-86.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$2.08 €1.85

-30.77%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$26.9K €23.9K

-22.84%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$30.3K €27.0K

-11.57%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$365 €325

-82.93%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$19.58 €17.42

-38.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$19.97 €17.76

-0.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$28.19 €25.07

31.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$5.53 €4.92

17.54%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$668 €594

18.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$17.9K €15.9K

-17.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$69.9 €62.2

-23.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$51.0 €45.37

-51.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$86.8 €77.2

4.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$138 €123

-48.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.77

16.77%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Madona: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Madona

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Madona

$264 23.4% 11.9% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Madona

$155 13.8% 43.8% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Madona

$405 35.9% 329% $310

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Madona

$257 22.8% 227% $178

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Madona

$8.3 * 0.7% 86.3% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Madona

$39 3.5% 21.6% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $67.0 in Madona. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $264 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇻 Madona

🕒 Local time

06:50 6:50 AM

02:50 2:50 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

7,800

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Madona 7,220 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Madona

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 Madona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Madona costs about 22% 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,692 in Madona. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $67.0 in Madona. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Madona, 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 $925, than in Madona at $1,128. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Madona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,128 in Madona. 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, Madona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.