Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Rakvere

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,008 in Rakvere, rent and utilities included – about $860 less a year. The total is higher in Rakvere despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Rakvere
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Rakvere Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Rakvere

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,008 in Rakvere, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Rakvere $1,008

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,540 in Rakvere, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Rakvere $1,540

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,072 in Rakvere, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Rakvere $2,072

Chiang Mai is about 7% cheaper than Rakvere, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Rakvere are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Rakvere 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$11.33 €10.15

-80.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$65.0 €58.2

-70.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$11.29 €10.11

-50.84%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.83 €3.43

-56.40%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.38 €2.13

-73.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.64 €1.47

-81.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$5.73 €5.14

-58.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.39 €3.94

-16.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.65 €0.58

200.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.92 €1.72

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$2.33 €2.08

-42.92%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.93 €1.73

18.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$12.76 €11.42

28.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$6.83 €6.11

-59.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$4.48 €4.01

107.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.15 €1.92

9.30%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.40 €1.26

-30.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.13 €1.91

-24.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.45 €2.20

-38.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.75 €0.67

70.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.53 €0.48

107.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.86 €1.67

-61.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.19 €1.06

-58.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.84 €6.13

-39.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$10.41 €9.32

68.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.02 €1.81

-20.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.46 €2.20

13.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$3.55 €3.18

-67.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.99 €0.89

-46.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$27.13 €24.30

-91.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$2.00 €1.79

-27.50%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$27.8K €24.9K

-24.18%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$29.7K €26.6K

-9.23%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$312 €279

-80.05%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$17.64 €15.80

-31.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$35.18 €31.51

-42.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.08 €4.55

27.76%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$476 €427

54.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$11.6K €10.4K

27.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$109 €97.5

-50.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$48.00 €42.99

-48.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$106 €94.6

-13.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$118 €106

-39.21%

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 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.93

41.73%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rakvere: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Rakvere

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Rakvere

$229 22.8% 2.1% $5

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Rakvere

$171 17% 57.8% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Rakvere

$364 36.2% 286% $270

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Rakvere

$224 22.2% 189% $146

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Rakvere

$8.5 * 0.8% 86.1% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Rakvere

$10 * 1% 79.8% $40

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 $65 in Rakvere. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $229 in Rakvere – so Rakvere wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇪 Rakvere

🕒 Local time

09:49 9:49 AM

04:49 4:49 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

16,953

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Rakvere 7,240 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Rakvere

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 Rakvere: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rakvere costs about 8% 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 $1,512 in Rakvere. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,008 in Rakvere. That makes Chiang Mai about 7% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $65 in Rakvere. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,008 in Rakvere. 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 $1,008 in Rakvere. 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.