Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Paszto

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,307 in Paszto, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half 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 Paszto
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Paszto Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Paszto

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,307

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,307 in Paszto, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Paszto $1,307

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,024 in Paszto, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Paszto $2,024

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,740 in Paszto, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Paszto $2,740

Chiang Mai is about 28% cheaper than Paszto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Paszto are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Paszto 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$11.24 Ft 3,651

-81.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$61.2 Ft 19.9K

-69.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$9.04 Ft 2,938

-38.05%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$2.41 Ft 783

-31.12%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$1.29 Ft 419

-49.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$1.26 Ft 411

-76.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.63 Ft 530

42.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.34 Ft 760

56.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.23 Ft 400

64.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$1.63 Ft 529

-13.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$2.40 Ft 779

-42.08%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$3.27 Ft 1,063

-27.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$10.10 Ft 3,283

63.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$6.65 Ft 2,160

-59.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$16.27 Ft 5,288

-44.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.35 Ft 765

2.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$2.18 Ft 708

-52.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.55 Ft 830

-34.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$3.86 Ft 1,253

-59.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$1.14 Ft 369

8.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$1.35 Ft 440

-19.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$1.79 Ft 583

-57.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.54 Ft 177

-5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$8.98 Ft 2,919

-54.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$4.65 Ft 1,511

285.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.30 Ft 423

24.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$2.53 Ft 823

11.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$1.21 Ft 393

-23.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$26.71 Ft 8,679

98.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$3.43 Ft 1,116

-65.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$1.48 Ft 480

-88.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$24.40 Ft 7,928

-92.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$1.78 Ft 579

-17.42%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$27.9K Ft 9.1M

-24.59%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$34.9K Ft 11.4M

-24.09%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$166 Ft 53.9K

-62.31%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$20.52 Ft 6,669

-43.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$20.99 Ft 6,821

-3.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$49.85 Ft 16.2K

-24.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$18.50 Ft 6,013

-80.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$8.87 Ft 2,881

-26.61%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$432 Ft 140.3K

68.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$7,523 Ft 2.4M

120.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$102 Ft 33.2K

-47.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$50.1 Ft 16.3K

-50.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$95.4 Ft 31.0K

-5.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$108 Ft 35.2K

-33.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$538 Ft 174.7K

-10.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$402 Ft 130.6K

-22.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$758 Ft 246.4K

39.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$652 Ft 212.0K

0.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$3,230 Ft 1.0M

-25.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$2,532 Ft 822.7K

-36.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$723 Ft 234.9K

-17.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-30.37%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Paszto: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Paszto

$402 30.8% 29.7% $92

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Paszto

$259 19.8% 9.3% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Paszto

$160 12.3% 47.9% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Paszto

$207 15.9% 120% $113

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Paszto

$169 12.9% 121% $92

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Paszto

$42 3.2% 27.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Paszto

$68 5.2% 32.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $538 in Paszto. 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 22% higher in Paszto, 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 in Chiang Mai versus $61 in Paszto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $259 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇭🇺 Paszto

🕒 Local time

11:56 11:56 AM

05:56 5:56 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

9,500

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.08 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Paszto 7,680 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Paszto

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 Paszto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Paszto 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 $1,961 in Paszto. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $538 in Paszto.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $432 in Paszto. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Paszto, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,307 in Paszto. 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,307 in Paszto. 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, Paszto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.