Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Szeged

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,223 in Szeged, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Szeged
Learn more

Szeged Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Szeged

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,223 in Szeged, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Szeged $1,223

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,918 in Szeged, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Szeged $1,918

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,613 in Szeged, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Szeged $2,613

Chiang Mai is about 23% cheaper than Szeged, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Szeged are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Szeged 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$9.23 Ft 3,004

-75.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$58.0 Ft 18.9K

-67.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.04 Ft 2,942

-38.61%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.37 Ft 772

-29.54%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.57 Ft 512

-59.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$1.31 Ft 426

-76.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.23 Ft 727

5.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.31 Ft 750

58.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.18 Ft 385

65.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$1.35 Ft 440

6.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$2.43 Ft 792

-45.27%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$3.56 Ft 1,160

-35.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$10.68 Ft 3,474

54.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.58 Ft 2,140

-57.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$15.85 Ft 5,156

-41.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.19 Ft 711

7.31%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$2.25 Ft 732

-56.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.00 Ft 649

-20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.34 Ft 1,086

-55.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$1.03 Ft 334

24.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$1.04 Ft 339

5.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$1.59 Ft 518

-55.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.50 Ft 163

-2.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$7.94 Ft 2,582

-47.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$5.18 Ft 1,684

238.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.23 Ft 400

30.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.98 Ft 643

40.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$1.71 Ft 557

-49.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$28.69 Ft 9,334

88.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$3.03 Ft 986

-61.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$1.64 Ft 535

-67.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$18.32 Ft 5,960

-86.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.82 Ft 591

-20.33%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$26.9K Ft 8.8M

-21.82%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$35.5K Ft 11.6M

-24.11%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$128 Ft 41.6K

-51.33%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$21.90 Ft 7,127

-44.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$19.74 Ft 6,424

1.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$51.5 Ft 16.7K

-27.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$29.38 Ft 9,560

-87.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.64 Ft 2,812

-24.88%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$250 Ft 81.4K

194.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$6,580 Ft 2.1M

124.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$112 Ft 36.5K

-52.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$32.50 Ft 10.6K

-24.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$93.6 Ft 30.4K

-2.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$110 Ft 35.9K

-34.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$518 Ft 168.5K

-6.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$375 Ft 122.1K

-17.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$739 Ft 240.4K

36.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$615 Ft 200.2K

2.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$3,210 Ft 1.0M

-26.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,316 Ft 753.7K

-31.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,224 Ft 398.3K

-51.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.67

-16.49%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Szeged: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Szeged

$375 30.7% 21.4% $66

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Szeged

$249 20.4% 6.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Szeged

$157 12.8% 44.4% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Szeged

$169 13.9% 79.3% $75

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Szeged

$157 12.8% 102% $79

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Szeged

$47 3.8% 23.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Szeged

$69 5.6% 36.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $518 in Szeged. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Szeged are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $58 in Szeged. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $249 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇭🇺 Szeged

🕒 Local time

02:06 2:06 AM

20:06 8:06 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

157,930

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Szeged 7,670 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Szeged

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 Szeged: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Szeged costs about 31% 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 $1,834 in Szeged. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $518 in Szeged. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $250 in Szeged. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Szeged, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,223 in Szeged. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,223 in Szeged. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Szeged makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.