Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Pacov

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,783 in Pacov, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 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
86

Cost of Living Index in Pacov
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Pacov Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Pacov

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,783

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,783 in Pacov, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Pacov $1,783

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,596 in Pacov, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Pacov $2,596

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,410 in Pacov, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Pacov $3,410

Chiang Mai is about 48% cheaper than Pacov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Chiang Mai sits 32% below the global median, while Pacov is 32% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$8.98 Kč 194

-74.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$45.60 Kč 986

-56.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$12.70 Kč 275

-55.83%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.83 Kč 61.3

-41.34%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$2.67 Kč 57.7

-73.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$1.40 Kč 30.28

-77.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.38 Kč 29.85

74.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$5.22 Kč 113

-28.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.63 Kč 35.28

19.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.39 Kč 30.15

1.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$3.16 Kč 68.4

-58.54%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$5.40 Kč 117

-59.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$12.15 Kč 263

37.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$9.15 Kč 198

-69.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$20.94 Kč 453

-56.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.33 Kč 28.77

79.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$2.67 Kč 57.8

-61.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$3.82 Kč 82.6

-57.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$3.48 Kč 75.3

-56.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.01 Kč 21.91

27.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$2.02 Kč 43.78

-45.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.25 Kč 26.95

-42.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.71 Kč 15.28

-25.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$3.75 Kč 81.0

14.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$7.02 Kč 152

155.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$0.78 Kč 16.85

102.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.69 Kč 36.64

68.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$1.12 Kč 24.18

-23.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$24.70 Kč 534

115.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$2.34 Kč 50.5

-48.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.95 Kč 20.45

-40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$27.61 Kč 597

-91.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.80 Kč 38.91

-20.00%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$31.4K Kč 678.2K

-33.90%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$29.5K Kč 638.5K

-9.23%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$275 Kč 5,956

-77.37%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$22.08 Kč 478

-45.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$19.18 Kč 415

3.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$97.3 Kč 2,104

-61.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$16.90 Kč 366

-77.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$13.25 Kč 287

-50.94%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$478 Kč 10.3K

65.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$10.1K Kč 218.9K

46.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$113 Kč 2,449

-52.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$74.7 Kč 1,616

-67.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$172 Kč 3,724

-47.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$121 Kč 2,609

-41.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$721 Kč 15.6K

-36.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$605 Kč 13.1K

-50.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$1,183 Kč 25.6K

-23.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$935 Kč 20.2K

-40.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$4,580 Kč 99.1K

-57.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$4,506 Kč 97.4K

-67.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$1,096 Kč 23.7K

-46.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.85

-29.04%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Pacov: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Pacov

$605 34% 103% $307

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Pacov

$307 17.2% 30.3% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Pacov

$216 12.1% 100% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Pacov

$317 17.8% 236% $222

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Pacov

$178 10% 126% $99

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Pacov

$36 2% 40.4% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Pacov

$124 6.9% 147% $74

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $721 in Pacov. 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 85% higher in Pacov, 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $46.00 in Pacov. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $307 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇿 Pacov

🕒 Local time

23:12 11:12 PM

18:12 6:12 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

4,700

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 CZK = 4.62 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 21.63 CZK (100 CZK = 4.62 USD). 1 EUR = 24.31 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Pacov 8,000 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Pacov

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 Pacov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pacov costs about 93% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $2,674 in Pacov. 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 $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $478 in Pacov. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Pacov, 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 Pacov at $1,783. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pacov it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,783 in Pacov. 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, Pacov makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.