Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ta'xbiex

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,132 in Ta’xbiex, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Ta'xbiex, Malta
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Ta'xbiex
🇲🇹 Malta
$2,132
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Ta'xbiex

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,132 in Ta’xbiex, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Ta'xbiex $2,132

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,181 in Ta’xbiex, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Ta'xbiex $3,181

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,229 in Ta’xbiex, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Ta'xbiex $4,229

Chiang Mai is about 56% cheaper than Ta’xbiex, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Ta’xbiex is 57% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Ta'xbiex
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.6
$22.25 €19.85
-89.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿641
$89.9 €80.2
-78.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿187
$13.28 €11.85
-58.21%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.5
$3.08 €2.75
-45.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.53
$2.43 €2.16
-73.66%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.30
$1.94 €1.73
-84.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.5
$5.48 €4.89
-56.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$6.83 €6.10
-46.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Ta'xbiex
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.7
$1.27 €1.13
53.54%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.45
$1.26 €1.13
14.29%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.01
$3.54 €3.15
-62.43%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.0
$3.71 €3.31
-38.54%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿555
$9.93 €8.86
65.66%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿93.8
$8.64 €7.71
-67.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$15.27 €13.63
-39.03%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.4
$3.01 €2.68
-21.93%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.78
$2.08 €1.86
-53.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$4.00 €3.57
-60.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$3.76 €3.36
-60.11%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.10
$1.92 €1.72
-33.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.17
$3.32 €2.96
-66.87%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.81
$2.28 €2.04
-68.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.36
$0.87 €0.78
-43.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$6.43 €5.74
-35.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿591
$5.85 €5.22
199.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$1.43 €1.27
12.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿93.9
$2.09 €1.87
33.01%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Ta'xbiex
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.29
$2.57 €2.29
-66.15%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,825
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.03
$3.80 €3.39
-69.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.79
$1.75 €1.56
-69.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.7
$32.56 €29.05
-92.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.87
$1.48 €1.32
-2.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿710.3K
$27.4K €24.5K
-23.21%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿908.7K
$39.0K €34.8K
-30.88%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Ta'xbiex
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,097
$157 €140
-60.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿410
$31.55 €28.15
-61.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿679
$29.27 €26.12
-31.26%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Ta'xbiex
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,259
$63.9 €57.0
-41.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$11.53 €10.29
-43.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Ta'xbiex
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.8K
$273 €243
170.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.0K
$12.4K €11.1K
18.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Ta'xbiex
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,800
$58.4 €52.1
-8.64%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿831
$68.0 €60.6
-63.74%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,086
$112 €99.6
-18.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,426
$131 €117
-44.96%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Ta'xbiex
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$1,178 €1,051
-59.06%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$1,035 €924
-70.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿33.9K
$1,800 €1,606
-44.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$1,610 €1,437
-60.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.7K
$4,558 €4,067
-48.16%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.6K
$2,732 €2,437
-41.83%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Ta'xbiex
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
$2,956 €2,637
-80.05%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
4
39.25%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ta'xbiex: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Ta'xbiex
$1K 235% $726
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Ta'xbiex
$290 23.9% $56
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Ta'xbiex
$166 52.7% $57
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Ta'xbiex
$218 131% $123
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Ta'xbiex
$313 304% $236
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Ta'xbiex
$23 * 62.8% $39
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Ta'xbiex
$87 72.9% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,178 in Ta’xbiex. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Ta’xbiex are about 5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $90 in Ta’xbiex. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $290 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇲🇹 Ta'xbiex
🕒 Local time
01:58 1:58 AM
19:58 7:58 PM
6 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
1,800
💱 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Ta'xbiex 8,320 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Ta'xbiex

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 Ta'xbiex: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Ta’xbiex?
Ta’xbiex costs about 128% 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 Ta’xbiex?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $3,199 in Ta’xbiex. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Ta’xbiex?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,178 in Ta’xbiex.
How do dining costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Ta’xbiex?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $90 in Ta’xbiex. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Ta’xbiex?
Groceries cost about 24% more in Ta’xbiex, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Chiang Mai or in Ta’xbiex?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,132 in Ta’xbiex. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Chiang Mai or Ta’xbiex?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $2,132 in Ta’xbiex. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Ta’xbiex?
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 Ta’xbiex?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ta’xbiex makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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