Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Saint-Genis-Pouilly

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,795 in Saint-Genis-Pouilly, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Saint-Genis-Pouilly, France
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$925
/mo nomad
Saint-Genis-Pouilly
🇫🇷 France
$1,795
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Saint-Genis-Pouilly

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 Saint-Genis-Pouilly actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,795 in Saint-Genis-Pouilly, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $925
  • Saint-Genis-Pouilly $1,795

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,794 in Saint-Genis-Pouilly, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,414
  • Saint-Genis-Pouilly $2,794

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,792 in Saint-Genis-Pouilly, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,903
  • Saint-Genis-Pouilly $3,792

Chiang Mai is about 48% cheaper than Saint-Genis-Pouilly, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 32% below the global median, while Saint-Genis-Pouilly is 32% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Saint-Genis-Pouilly
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.29 ฿77.2
$16.75 €14.93
-86.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.64 ฿663
$66.7 €59.5
-70.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.61 ฿189
$13.64 €12.16
-58.87%
Cappuccino
$1.66 ฿56.1
$3.69 €3.29
-55.01%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.70 ฿23.61
$3.09 €2.75
-77.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.33
$1.82 €1.62
-82.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.41 ฿81.1
$7.30 €6.51
-66.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.71 ฿125
$5.50 €4.90
-32.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Saint-Genis-Pouilly
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.9
$1.28 €1.14
52.34%
White Bread (500g)
$1.41 ฿47.47
$1.91 €1.71
-26.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.31 ฿44.03
$2.48 €2.21
-47.18%
Eggs
$2.18 ฿73.6
$3.99 €3.56
-45.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.65 ฿562
$19.70 €17.56
-15.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.76 ฿93.0
$12.14 €10.82
-77.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.11 ฿307
$21.73 €19.37
-58.08%
Apples (1kg)
$2.39 ฿80.7
$3.02 €2.69
-20.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.03 ฿34.58
$2.18 €1.94
-52.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.63 ฿54.9
$2.85 €2.54
-42.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.5
$3.14 €2.79
-52.23%
Potato (1kg)
$1.29 ฿43.53
$1.85 €1.65
-30.27%
Onion (1kg)
$1.11 ฿37.37
$2.26 €2.01
-50.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.72 ฿24.30
$1.45 €1.29
-50.34%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 ฿17.76
$0.69 €0.61
-23.19%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.31 ฿145
$13.58 €12.11
-68.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.95 ฿605
$8.04 €7.17
123.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 ฿53.4
$2.62 €2.33
-39.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.9
$3.33 €2.97
-14.71%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Saint-Genis-Pouilly
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.86 ฿29.13
$1.88 €1.67
-54.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.3 ฿1,797
$47.04 €41.93
13.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.21 ฿40.66
$4.97 €4.43
-75.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.57 ฿19.16
$2.14 €1.91
-73.36%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.35 ฿79.4
$32.67 €29.11
-92.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 ฿48.40
$1.88 €1.68
-23.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K ฿699.2K
$34.2K €30.4K
-39.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.8K ฿904.0K
$35.2K €31.4K
-23.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Saint-Genis-Pouilly
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.3 ฿2,102
$210 €187
-70.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.11 ฿408
$15.51 €13.82
-21.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.94 ฿673
$32.08 €28.60
-37.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Saint-Genis-Pouilly
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.07 ฿1,250
$35.30 €31.46
5.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.78 ฿127
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.50 ฿219
$13.35 €11.90
-51.31%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Saint-Genis-Pouilly
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$793 ฿26.7K
$793 €707
-0.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿499.5K
$10.0K €8,922
47.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Saint-Genis-Pouilly
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.7 ฿1,813
$89.4 €79.7
-39.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.62 ฿831
$41.36 €36.86
-40.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.9 ฿3,064
$99.9 €89.1
-9.07%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.1 ฿2,400
$137 €122
-47.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Saint-Genis-Pouilly
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$455 ฿15.4K
$756 €673
-39.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$298 ฿10.0K
$596 €531
-50.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$908 ฿30.6K
$1,406 €1,253
-35.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$554 ฿18.7K
$1,137 €1,014
-51.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,931 ฿65.1K
$3,845 €3,427
-49.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,445 ฿48.7K
$2,961 €2,639
-51.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Saint-Genis-Pouilly
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$591 ฿19.9K
$3,298 €2,940
-82.09%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
3.87
43.93%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Saint-Genis-Pouilly: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$298
Saint-Genis-Pouilly
$596 100% $298
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$235
Saint-Genis-Pouilly
$358 52% $123
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$108
Saint-Genis-Pouilly
$165 52.8% $57
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Saint-Genis-Pouilly
$258 173% $163
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$79
Saint-Genis-Pouilly
$286 264% $208
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Saint-Genis-Pouilly
$70 15.5% $9.5
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Saint-Genis-Pouilly
$62 23.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $756 in Saint-Genis-Pouilly. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Saint-Genis-Pouilly are about 5.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Chiang Mai versus $67 in Saint-Genis-Pouilly. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $358 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇫🇷 Saint-Genis-Pouilly
🕒 Local time
14:48 2:48 PM
08:48 8:48 AM
6 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
14,558
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.84 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Saint-Genis-Pouilly 8,730 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Saint-Genis-Pouilly

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 Saint-Genis-Pouilly: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Saint-Genis-Pouilly?
Saint-Genis-Pouilly costs about 94% 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 Saint-Genis-Pouilly?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,693 in Saint-Genis-Pouilly. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Saint-Genis-Pouilly?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $455 there versus $756 in Saint-Genis-Pouilly.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Saint-Genis-Pouilly?
Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $793 in Saint-Genis-Pouilly. 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 Saint-Genis-Pouilly?
Groceries cost about 52% more in Saint-Genis-Pouilly, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $800/month in Chiang Mai or in Saint-Genis-Pouilly?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $925 in Chiang Mai and $1,795 in Saint-Genis-Pouilly. 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 Saint-Genis-Pouilly?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $925 in Chiang Mai to $1,795 in Saint-Genis-Pouilly. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Saint-Genis-Pouilly?
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.
Should I move to Chiang Mai or to Saint-Genis-Pouilly?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Saint-Genis-Pouilly makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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