Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Polva

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,216 in Polva, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. The total is higher in Polva despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Polva
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Polva Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Polva

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,216

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,216 in Polva, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Polva $1,216

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,934 in Polva, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Polva $1,934

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,652 in Polva, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Polva $2,652

Chiang Mai is about 23% cheaper than Polva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Polva are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Polva 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$17.06 €15.32

-86.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$88.9 €79.9

-78.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$11.92 €10.71

-53.44%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$4.33 €3.89

-61.43%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$2.24 €2.01

-71.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$2.29 €2.06

-86.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$6.80 €6.11

-65.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$6.81 €6.12

-46.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.13 €1.02

72.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.40 €1.26

2.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.95 €2.65

-54.92%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.19 €2.87

-28.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$11.14 €10.00

47.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$9.07 €8.15

-69.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$27.39 €24.60

-66.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.34 €2.10

0.43%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.40 €1.26

-30.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.58 €2.32

-37.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.90 €2.60

-48.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.81 €0.72

58.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.81 €0.72

35.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$2.04 €1.83

-65.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.02 €0.91

-51.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.93 €6.23

-40.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$10.18 €9.15

72.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.97 €1.77

-18.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.06 €1.85

34.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$6.09 €5.47

-80.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.19 €1.07

-55.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$26.47 €23.78

-90.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.95 €1.75

-25.64%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$28.3K €25.4K

-25.50%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$31.5K €28.3K

-14.40%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$340 €306

-81.72%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$17.33 €15.56

-29.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$31.99 €28.74

-37.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$13.45 €12.08

-51.75%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$721 €648

2.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$9,967 €8,954

48.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$104 €93.7

-48.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$50.2 €45.06

-50.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$117 €105

-21.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$136 €123

-47.25%

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

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.44

61.92%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Polva: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Polva

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Polva

$314 25.9% 34.2% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Polva

$183 15.1% 68.7% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Polva

$389 32% 312% $295

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Polva

$290 23.8% 274% $212

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Polva

$12 * 1% 80.4% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Polva

$27 * 2.2% 46.5% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $89 in Polva. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $314 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇪 Polva

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

23:50 11:50 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

5,700

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Polva 7,180 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Polva

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 Polva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Polva costs about 30% 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 $1,824 in Polva. 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 $89 in Polva. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Polva, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,216 in Polva. 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 $1,216 in Polva. 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.