Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Saue

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,107 in Saue, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Saue 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 Saue
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Saue Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Saue

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,107

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,107 in Saue, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Saue $1,107

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

Chiang Mai $1,467
Saue $1,724

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,342 in Saue, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Saue $2,342

Chiang Mai is about 15% cheaper than Saue, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.9

$17.00 €15.18

-87.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$70.5 €63.0

-73.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$11.14 €9.95

-49.73%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.0

$3.98 €3.56

-58.29%

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

$0.65 ฿21.80

$2.24 €2.00

-70.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.28

$2.24 €2.00

-86.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$6.57 €5.87

-64.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$6.83 €6.10

-46.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.9

$1.10 €0.98

83.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.45

$1.38 €1.24

2.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.90

$2.28 €2.03

-39.04%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.8

$2.84 €2.54

-16.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$11.32 €10.11

45.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.0

$8.50 €7.59

-68.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$15.17 €13.55

-40.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.8

$2.13 €1.90

12.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.09

$1.39 €1.24

-25.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.43 €2.17

-31.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.5

$2.98 €2.66

-47.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.71

$0.81 €0.72

53.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.62

$0.81 €0.73

34.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.67

$1.88 €1.68

-59.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.33

$0.92 €0.82

-44.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$6.94 €6.20

-40.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿604

$10.10 €9.02

77.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.7

$1.89 €1.69

-14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.1

$2.02 €1.81

39.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,782

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.65

$3.65 €3.26

-67.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$1.00 €0.89

-83.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$26.84 €23.97

-93.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.63

$2.01 €1.80

-26.87%

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

$21.0K ฿708.1K

$28.0K €25.0K

-24.87%

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

$26.5K ฿893.6K

$29.6K €26.4K

-10.38%

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

$62.6 ฿2,108

$310 €277

-79.83%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$17.54 €15.66

-33.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿684

$31.83 €28.43

-36.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,277

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$11.58 €10.35

-43.78%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$470 €420

54.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿558.5K

$10.2K €9,141

61.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,804

$100 €89.7

-46.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$48.01 €42.88

-48.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,046

$103 €91.9

-12.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,425

$118 €106

-39.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

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 ฿81.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

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 Saue: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Saue

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Saue

$267 24.2% 12.9% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Saue

$166 15% 53.6% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Saue

$360 32.5% 281% $265

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Saue

$282 25.5% 268% $205

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Saue

$8.7 * 0.8% 85.3% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Saue

$23 * 2.1% 54.5% $28

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 $70 in Saue. 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

🇪🇪 Saue

🕒 Local time

05:29 5:29 AM

00:29 12:29 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

5,810

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 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 = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Saue 7,340 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Saue

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 Saue: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saue 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 $1,660 in Saue. 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 Saue. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,107 in Saue. 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 $1,107 in Saue. 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.