Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Solin

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,544 in Solin, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Solin, Croatia
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$935
/mo nomad
Solin
🇭🇷 Croatia
$1,544
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,544 in Solin, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $935
  • Solin $1,544

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,281 in Solin, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,467
  • Solin $2,281

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,018 in Solin, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,999
  • Solin $3,018

Chiang Mai is about 39% cheaper than Solin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Solin is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Solin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.13 ฿72.0
$16.45 €14.71
-87.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.62 ฿628
$73.5 €65.8
-74.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.60 ฿189
$11.38 €10.18
-50.79%
Cappuccino
$1.66 ฿56.1
$2.80 €2.51
-40.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.65 ฿21.83
$3.93 €3.52
-83.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 ฿10.29
$2.96 €2.64
-89.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.32 ฿78.4
$4.83 €4.32
-51.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.67 ฿124
$4.94 €4.42
-25.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Solin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.02 ฿68.0
$1.04 €0.93
94.23%
White Bread (500g)
$1.41 ฿47.51
$1.21 €1.08
16.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.39 ฿46.96
$2.23 €1.99
-37.67%
Eggs
$2.37 ฿79.9
$4.03 €3.61
-41.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.52 ฿557
$10.08 €9.01
63.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.67 ฿90.1
$9.08 €8.12
-70.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.02 ฿304
$9.66 €8.64
-6.63%
Apples (1kg)
$2.40 ฿80.9
$1.80 €1.61
33.33%
Banana (1kg)
$1.04 ฿35.13
$1.36 €1.22
-23.53%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.66 ฿56.0
$1.64 €1.47
1.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.56 ฿52.6
$2.76 €2.47
-43.48%
Potato (1kg)
$1.24 ฿41.76
$0.87 €0.78
42.53%
Onion (1kg)
$1.09 ฿36.66
$0.89 €0.80
22.47%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.76 ฿25.70
$1.10 €0.98
-30.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿17.35
$1.20 €1.08
-57.50%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.12 ฿139
$5.43 €4.85
-24.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.93 ฿605
$4.40 €3.94
307.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.62 ฿54.8
$1.33 €1.19
21.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 ฿95.2
$2.25 €2.01
25.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Solin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.93 ฿31.53
$1.74 €1.55
-46.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$52.9 ฿1,785
$45.43 €40.62
16.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.18 ฿39.70
$4.36 €3.90
-72.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.17 ฿5.79
$2.03 €1.82
-91.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 ฿61.1
$7.34 €6.57
-75.34%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.69
$1.95 €1.74
-24.62%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K ฿708.9K
$27.3K €24.4K
-22.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.5K ฿894.6K
$24.8K €22.2K
7.04%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Solin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.6 ฿2,111
$211 €189
-70.37%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.60 ฿392
$20.38 €18.23
-43.08%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.30 ฿685
$42.04 €37.60
-51.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Solin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.88 ฿1,278
$51.0 €45.56
-25.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.70 ฿125
$15.47 €13.84
-76.08%
Cinema Ticket
$6.51 ฿220
$10.59 €9.47
-38.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Solin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$727 ฿24.5K
$89.7 €80.2
710.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K ฿559.2K
$7,162 €6,404
131.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Solin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.5 ฿1,807
$72.4 €64.8
-26.07%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.80 ฿837
$27.57 €24.66
-10.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.4 ฿3,050
$67.0 €59.9
34.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$72.0 ฿2,428
$79.6 €71.2
-9.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Solin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$481 ฿16.2K
$695 €622
-30.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$310 ฿10.5K
$527 €471
-41.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,058 ฿35.7K
$1,177 €1,052
-10.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$659 ฿22.2K
$747 €668
-11.89%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,418 ฿81.6K
$4,043 €3,615
-40.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,609 ฿54.3K
$2,922 €2,613
-44.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Solin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$595 ฿20.1K
$1,064 €952
-44.10%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
3.79
46.97%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Solin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$310
Solin
$527 70% $217
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$237
Solin
$233 1.5% $3.6
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$108
Solin
$111 2.4% $2.6
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Solin
$274 190% $179
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$77
Solin
$261 241% $184
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$59
Solin
$67 14% $8.2
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$51
Solin
$72 41.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $695 in Solin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 79% higher in Solin. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $74 in Solin. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $233 in Solin – so Solin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇭🇷 Solin
🕒 Local time
05:03 5:03 AM
23:03 11:03 PM
6 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
24,862
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Solin 7,990 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Solin

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 Solin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Solin?
Solin costs about 65% 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 Solin?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,317 in Solin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Solin?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $695 in Solin.
How do dining costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Solin?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $74 in Solin. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How expensive is transport in Chiang Mai compared to Solin?
Public transport costs about 14% less in Solin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $800/month in Chiang Mai or in Solin?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,544 in Solin. 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 Solin?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,544 in Solin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Solin?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Chiang Mai or to Solin?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Solin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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?