Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Saku

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,108 in Saku, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Saku despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Saku
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Saku Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Saku

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,108

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,108 in Saku, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Saku $1,108

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,724 in Saku, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Saku $1,724

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,339 in Saku, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Saku $2,339

Chiang Mai is about 16% cheaper than Saku, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Saku are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Saku 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$16.43 €14.69

-87.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$70.4 €62.9

-73.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$11.23 €10.04

-50.13%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$4.14 €3.70

-59.90%

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

$0.65 ฿21.83

$2.25 €2.01

-71.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$2.32 €2.07

-87.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.4

$6.66 €5.96

-65.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$6.51 €5.82

-43.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.09 €0.97

85.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.51

$1.39 €1.24

1.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.96

$2.38 €2.13

-41.60%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$2.90 €2.59

-18.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$11.04 €9.88

49.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$8.41 €7.52

-68.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$14.64 €13.09

-38.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.14 €1.92

12.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.13

$1.38 €1.23

-24.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.49 €2.23

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$3.01 €2.70

-48.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.76

$0.82 €0.73

51.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.66

$0.81 €0.72

34.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$1.85 €1.66

-58.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$1.01 €0.90

-49.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$6.91 €6.18

-40.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$10.22 €9.14

75.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.90 €1.69

-14.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$2.08 €1.86

35.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.70

$3.67 €3.28

-67.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.79

$1.03 €0.92

-83.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$26.04 €23.28

-93.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$2.02 €1.80

-27.23%

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

$21.0K ฿708.9K

$28.2K €25.2K

-25.50%

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

$26.5K ฿894.6K

$29.3K €26.2K

-9.42%

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

$62.6 ฿2,111

$312 €279

-79.93%

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

$11.60 ฿392

$17.17 €15.36

-32.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$32.62 €29.17

-37.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$11.65 €10.41

-44.12%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$469 €420

54.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.2K

$10.2K €9,106

62.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,807

$102 €90.8

-47.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿837

$48.12 €43.03

-48.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,050

$106 €94.6

-14.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$119 €106

-39.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

$4,012 €3,588

-39.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$2,648 €2,368

-39.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$1,764 €1,577

-66.28%

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Saku: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Saku

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Saku

$267 24.1% 12.7% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Saku

$168 15.2% 55.4% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Saku

$362 32.6% 283% $267

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Saku

$279 25.2% 265% $203

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Saku

$8.8 * 0.8% 84.9% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Saku

$23 * 2.1% 54.2% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Saku are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $70 in Saku. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $267 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇪 Saku

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

21:32 9:32 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

4,548

💱 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Saku 7,330 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Saku

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 Saku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saku costs about 18% 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 $1,662 in Saku. 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 $70 in Saku. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Saku, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,108 in Saku. 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,108 in Saku. 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.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Saku makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.