Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Plzen

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,777 in Plzen, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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 Plzen
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Plzen Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Plzen

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,777

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,777 in Plzen, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Plzen $1,777

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,485 in Plzen, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Plzen $2,485

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,193 in Plzen, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Plzen $3,193

Chiang Mai is about 47% cheaper than Plzen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Plzen is 31% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$11.41 Kč 250

-80.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$55.6 Kč 1,217

-65.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$9.37 Kč 205

-40.77%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.11 Kč 68.1

-46.30%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$2.21 Kč 48.34

-71.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.82 Kč 39.72

-82.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.93 Kč 64.2

-19.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.67 Kč 58.4

37.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.12 Kč 24.55

74.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.67 Kč 36.60

-13.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$3.01 Kč 65.9

-55.81%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.84 Kč 84.1

-40.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$14.02 Kč 307

17.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$9.99 Kč 219

-72.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$16.08 Kč 352

-42.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.16 Kč 47.30

8.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.78 Kč 38.94

-45.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.23 Kč 48.86

-28.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.59 Kč 78.6

-58.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.22 Kč 26.79

4.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.21 Kč 26.48

-9.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.59 Kč 34.72

-55.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.78 Kč 17.17

-37.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.68 Kč 146

-38.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.03 Kč 154

149.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.39 Kč 30.45

15.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.70 Kč 37.15

63.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$1.21 Kč 26.41

-28.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$27.94 Kč 611

93.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$2.09 Kč 45.63

-44.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.34 Kč 29.33

-60.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$13.54 Kč 296

-82.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.83 Kč 40.01

-20.77%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$30.4K Kč 665.2K

-30.72%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$30.5K Kč 667.3K

-11.65%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$273 Kč 5,981

-77.26%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$17.11 Kč 374

-28.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$14.74 Kč 323

36.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$61.0 Kč 1,335

-38.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$14.45 Kč 316

-73.91%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.86 Kč 238

-40.24%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$329 Kč 7,198

123.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$11.0K Kč 240.2K

34.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$80.2 Kč 1,754

-33.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$42.55 Kč 931

-42.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$84.9 Kč 1,858

7.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$112 Kč 2,441

-35.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$773 Kč 16.9K

-37.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$721 Kč 15.8K

-57.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$976 Kč 21.3K

3.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$940 Kč 20.6K

-32.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$5,146 Kč 112.6K

-54.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$4,144 Kč 90.7K

-61.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,885 Kč 41.2K

-68.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.8

16.04%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Plzen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Plzen

$721 40.6% 133% $412

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Plzen

$290 16.3% 23.8% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Plzen

$144 8.1% 32.2% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Plzen

$305 17.2% 223% $211

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Plzen

$193 10.9% 149% $115

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Plzen

$42 2.3% 32.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Plzen

$83 4.7% 64.6% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $773 in Plzen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Plzen are about 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $56 in Plzen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $290 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇿 Plzen

🕒 Local time

21:04 9:04 PM

15:04 3:04 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

168,951

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 CZK = 4.57 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 21.88 CZK (100 CZK = 4.57 USD). 1 EUR = 24.35 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Plzen 8,120 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Plzen

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 Plzen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Plzen costs about 90% 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 $2,666 in Plzen. 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 $482 there versus $773 in Plzen.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $329 in Plzen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Plzen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,777 in Plzen. 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 $1,777 in Plzen. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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