Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Paks

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,150 in Paks, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Paks
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Paks Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Paks

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,150

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,150 in Paks, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Paks $1,150

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,715 in Paks, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Paks $1,715

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,279 in Paks, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Paks $2,279

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

Both Chiang Mai and Paks are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Paks 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.5

$8.65 Ft 2,802

-73.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿642

$30.55 Ft 9,901

-37.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$7.31 Ft 2,370

-23.53%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.7

$0.87 Ft 282

97.70%

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

$0.64 ฿21.59

$1.20 Ft 389

-46.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.20

$0.84 Ft 273

-60.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.9

$1.24 Ft 402

90.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿131

$1.94 Ft 628

101.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.8

$1.16 Ft 378

76.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.80

$0.61 Ft 198

129.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.98

$2.41 Ft 782

-46.89%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.4

$3.22 Ft 1,043

-30.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿567

$10.96 Ft 3,552

54.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.8

$6.29 Ft 2,039

-56.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$13.34 Ft 4,325

-29.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.5

$1.83 Ft 592

31.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.99

$2.08 Ft 675

-51.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿54.0

$2.07 Ft 670

-22.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.8

$3.90 Ft 1,264

-61.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.99

$0.57 Ft 186

124.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.30

$0.53 Ft 173

109.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.14

$1.56 Ft 505

-53.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.57

$0.50 Ft 163

4.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$7.98 Ft 2,587

-45.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿594

$6.17 Ft 1,999

187.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.5

$1.22 Ft 397

33.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.5

$1.64 Ft 533

73.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.37

$1.25 Ft 405

-32.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,805

$24.22 Ft 7,851

122.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.26

$3.01 Ft 977

-61.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.04

$1.50 Ft 486

-62.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.3

$18.21 Ft 5,904

-86.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.42

$1.84 Ft 597

-21.20%

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

$20.5K ฿685.7K

$32.6K Ft 10.6M

-37.28%

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

$26.5K ฿887.9K

$36.5K Ft 11.8M

-27.38%

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

$62.3 ฿2,088

$132 Ft 42.9K

-52.88%

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

$12.27 ฿411

$10.23 Ft 3,317

19.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿669

$11.94 Ft 3,871

67.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,270

$47.58 Ft 15.4K

-20.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$21.10 Ft 6,838

-82.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿225

$7.47 Ft 2,421

-10.17%

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

$797 ฿26.7K

$253 Ft 81.9K

215.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿496.7K

$6,945 Ft 2.3M

113.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,783

$89.8 Ft 29.1K

-40.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿839

$13.92 Ft 4,513

79.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,068

$97.3 Ft 31.5K

-5.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,460

$105 Ft 34.1K

-30.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$529 Ft 171.6K

-12.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$405 Ft 131.4K

-24.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.7K

$755 Ft 244.8K

21.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$641 Ft 207.7K

-13.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿64.0K

$3,116 Ft 1.0M

-38.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.2K

$2,611 Ft 846.3K

-44.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$1,276 Ft 413.5K

-53.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.25

-32.48%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Paks: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Paks

$405 35.2% 33.1% $101

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Paks

$231 20.1% 3% $7.2

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Paks

$138 12% 25.8% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Paks

$154 13.4% 63.3% $60

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Paks

$120 10.4% 51.7% $41

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Paks

$40 3.5% 35.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Paks

$63 5.4% 21.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $529 in Paks. 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 114% higher in Paks, 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 $31.00 in Paks. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $231 in Paks – so Paks wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇭🇺 Paks

🕒 Local time

23:05 11:05 PM

18:05 6:05 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

17,917

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 33.49 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Paks 7,760 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Paks

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 Paks: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Paks costs about 23% 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 $1,726 in Paks. 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 $253 in Paks. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Paks – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Paks at $1,150. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Paks it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,150 in Paks. 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, Paks makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.