Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Pruszków

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,397 in Pruszków, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Pruszków, Poland
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Pruszków
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,397
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,397 in Pruszków, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Pruszków $1,397

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,067 in Pruszków, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Pruszków $2,067

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,738 in Pruszków, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Pruszków $2,738

Chiang Mai is about 33% cheaper than Pruszków, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Pruszków is 3% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Pruszków
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.7
$9.77 zł 38.66
-77.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿642
$41.54 zł 164
-54.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿188
$9.00 zł 35.63
-38.33%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.6
$3.25 zł 12.85
-48.62%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.56
$2.01 zł 7.95
-68.16%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.32
$1.85 zł 7.32
-83.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.6
$4.04 zł 16.00
-41.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$3.82 zł 15.13
-4.19%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Pruszków
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.8
$1.00 zł 3.95
95.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.51
$1.26 zł 4.98
14.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.07
$1.36 zł 5.40
-2.21%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.1
$3.29 zł 13.01
-30.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿556
$8.38 zł 33.16
96.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$5.47 zł 21.64
-49.18%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$11.20 zł 44.31
-16.87%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.5
$1.13 zł 4.47
107.96%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.82
$1.45 zł 5.72
-33.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$1.76 zł 6.96
-9.09%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.7
$2.76 zł 10.92
-45.65%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.15
$0.77 zł 3.04
66.23%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.22
$0.88 zł 3.47
25.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.84
$1.25 zł 4.96
-43.20%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.38
$0.65 zł 2.57
-24.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$5.39 zł 21.34
-23.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿592
$6.75 zł 26.72
159.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$0.98 zł 3.86
64.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$1.31 zł 5.18
112.21%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Pruszków
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.33
$1.08 zł 4.29
-19.44%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,827
$25.40 zł 101
112.95%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.08
$2.25 zł 8.89
-48.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.82
$0.86 zł 3.41
-38.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.8
$9.24 zł 36.57
-73.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.93
$1.44 zł 5.68
0.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿711.2K
$29.7K zł 117.4K
-29.01%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿909.8K
$29.8K zł 117.8K
-9.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Pruszków
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,100
$285 zł 1,129
-78.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿411
$8.64 zł 34.17
40.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿680
$17.44 zł 69.0
15.37%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Pruszków
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,260
$35.76 zł 142
4.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
$19.73 zł 78.1
-80.89%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$6.89 zł 27.26
-5.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Pruszków
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.9K
$337 zł 1,335
118.22%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.6K
$8,110 zł 32.1K
82.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Pruszków
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,802
$86.8 zł 344
-38.53%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿832
$38.35 zł 152
-35.75%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,089
$91.1 zł 361
0.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,429
$109 zł 431
-33.96%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Pruszków
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$567 zł 2,244
-14.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$466 zł 1,842
-33.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿34.0K
$1,077 zł 4,262
-6.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$852 zł 3,371
-25.63%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.8K
$2,745 zł 10.9K
-13.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.7K
$2,305 zł 9,122
-31.07%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Pruszków
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
6.74
-17.36%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Pruszków: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Pruszków
$466 50.7% $157
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Pruszków
$200 14.6% $34
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Pruszków
$146 34.7% $38
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Pruszków
$311 230% $217
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Pruszków
$187 142% $110
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Pruszków
$36 40.8% $25
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Pruszków
$50 1.5% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $567 in Pruszków. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $42 in Pruszków. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $200 in Pruszków – so Pruszków wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇵🇱 Pruszków
🕒 Local time
04:36 4:36 AM
22:36 10:36 PM
6 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
65,283
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.96 PLN (1 PLN = 0.253 USD). 1 EUR = 4.41 PLN (1 PLN = 0.227 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Pruszków 7,570 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Pruszków

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 Pruszków: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Pruszków?
Pruszków costs about 49% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Pruszków?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,095 in Pruszków. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Pruszków?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $567 in Pruszków.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Pruszków?
Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $337 in Pruszków. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Pruszków?
Interestingly, groceries are about 15% cheaper in Pruszków – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Can you live on $800/month in Chiang Mai or in Pruszków?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,397 in Pruszków. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Chiang Mai or Pruszków?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,397 in Pruszków. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Pruszków?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

Chiang Mai vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?