Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Palanga

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Palanga: $936 and $915 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Palanga
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Palanga Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Palanga

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $915 in Palanga, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Palanga $915

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,488 in Palanga, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Palanga $1,488

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,062 in Palanga, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Palanga $2,062

Chiang Mai and Palanga have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Chiang Mai and Palanga are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Palanga 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$12.10 €10.87

-81.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$68.1 €61.2

-72.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.78 €6.99

-28.66%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.42 €3.07

-51.17%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$2.63 €2.37

-75.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$2.82 €2.53

-89.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$5.62 €5.05

-58.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$5.17 €4.65

-29.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.41 €1.26

38.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.72 €1.55

-16.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.78 €1.60

-25.28%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.06 €2.75

-25.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$10.04 €9.02

63.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$7.08 €6.36

-60.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$12.35 €11.09

-24.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.59 €1.43

47.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.51 €1.36

-35.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.64 €1.47

-2.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.07 €2.76

-51.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.78 €0.70

64.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.90 €0.80

22.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.46 €1.31

-51.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.81 €0.72

-39.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.80 €5.21

-28.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$8.54 €7.67

105.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.72 €1.54

-6.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.11 €1.90

31.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$33.22 €29.84

62.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.14 €1.03

1.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.88 €0.79

-39.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$13.39 €12.03

-81.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.80 €1.62

-19.44%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$26.8K €24.1K

-21.50%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$27.6K €24.8K

-2.47%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$201 €180

-69.04%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$15.18 €13.64

-19.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$14.38 €12.92

39.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.76 €7.87

-25.91%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$509 €457

44.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$8,777 €7,884

68.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$84.0 €75.5

-36.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$40.20 €36.12

-38.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$80.7 €72.5

13.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$162 €146

-55.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$4,928 €4,427

-52.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$2,930 €2,632

-45.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,461 €1,313

-59.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.05

37.53%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Palanga: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Palanga

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Palanga

$242 26.4% 3.1% $7.3

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Palanga

$165 18.1% 52.2% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Palanga

$230 25.2% 144% $136

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Palanga

$221 24.2% 185% $144

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Palanga

$39 * 4.2% 36.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Palanga

$18 * 1.9% 65.2% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Palanga are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $68 in Palanga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $242 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇹 Palanga

🕒 Local time

05:29 5:29 AM

00:29 12:29 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

15,732

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Palanga 7,540 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Palanga

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 Palanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,373 in Palanga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $68 in Palanga. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 39% less in Palanga. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $915 in Palanga, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $915 in Palanga to $936 in Chiang Mai. 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.