Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nowy Sacz

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,309 in Nowy Sacz, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Nowy Sacz
Learn more

Nowy Sacz Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Nowy Sacz

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,309

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Nowy Sacz

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,309 in Nowy Sacz, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Nowy Sacz $1,309

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,998 in Nowy Sacz, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Nowy Sacz $1,998

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,686 in Nowy Sacz, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Nowy Sacz $2,686

Chiang Mai is about 29% cheaper than Nowy Sacz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Nowy Sacz are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Nowy Sacz 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$8.95 zł 35.30

-74.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$37.54 zł 148

-49.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.82 zł 30.83

-29.03%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.96 zł 11.66

-43.58%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$2.00 zł 7.89

-68.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$1.55 zł 6.09

-80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.68 zł 10.57

-11.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.23 zł 12.73

13.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.99 zł 3.89

96.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$1.30 zł 5.14

10.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.58 zł 6.21

-15.82%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$3.33 zł 13.13

-31.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.56 zł 33.75

92.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.35 zł 25.04

-56.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.16 zł 44.00

-16.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.19 zł 4.69

97.48%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.76 zł 6.93

-44.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.70 zł 6.70

-5.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.55 zł 10.04

-41.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.89 zł 3.52

43.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$1.04 zł 4.09

5.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$1.36 zł 5.36

-47.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.72 zł 2.84

-31.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.92 zł 19.42

-15.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.42 zł 25.33

172.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.05 zł 4.15

53.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.69 zł 6.65

64.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$1.08 zł 4.25

-19.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$31.49 zł 124

71.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$2.09 zł 8.24

-44.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.74 zł 2.92

-28.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$10.06 zł 39.67

-75.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.56 zł 6.16

-7.05%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$29.9K zł 118.1K

-29.66%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$28.6K zł 112.9K

-5.93%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$295 zł 1,162

-78.90%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$9.77 zł 38.54

24.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$12.86 zł 50.7

56.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$35.82 zł 141

4.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$24.43 zł 96.3

-84.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.00 zł 31.56

-18.87%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$250 zł 984

195.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$2,089 zł 8,240

606.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$57.8 zł 228

-7.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$37.19 zł 147

-33.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$55.4 zł 219

65.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$72.2 zł 285

-0.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$507 zł 2,001

-4.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$424 zł 1,672

-27.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,037 zł 4,088

-2.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$917 zł 3,616

-30.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,894 zł 7,470

24.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,151 zł 4,538

38.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$915 zł 3,610

-35.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.02

-20.66%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nowy Sacz: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Nowy Sacz

$424 32.4% 37.2% $115

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Nowy Sacz

$210 16% 10.5% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Nowy Sacz

$100 7.7% 7.8% $8.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Nowy Sacz

$317 24.2% 236% $223

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Nowy Sacz

$165 12.6% 112% $87

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Nowy Sacz

$42 3.2% 32.2% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Nowy Sacz

$52 4% 3.1% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $507 in Nowy Sacz. 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 55% higher in Nowy Sacz. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $38 in Nowy Sacz. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $210 in Nowy Sacz – so Nowy Sacz wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇱 Nowy Sacz

🕒 Local time

04:00 4:00 AM

22:00 10:00 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

83,943

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 PLN = 0.254 USD

1 PLN = 0.226 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Nowy Sacz 7,590 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Nowy Sacz

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 Nowy Sacz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nowy Sacz costs about 40% 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 $1,964 in Nowy Sacz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $507 in Nowy Sacz. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $250 in Nowy Sacz. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Nowy Sacz – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,309 in Nowy Sacz. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,309 in Nowy Sacz. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Nowy Sacz makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.