Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tamási

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,141 in Tamási, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Tamási
Learn more

Tamási Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Tamási

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,141

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,141 in Tamási, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Tamási $1,141

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,778 in Tamási, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Tamási $1,778

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,415 in Tamási, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Tamási $2,415

Chiang Mai is about 18% cheaper than Tamási, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Tamási are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Tamási 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.3

$9.29 Ft 2,996

-75.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$57.7 Ft 18.6K

-66.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$9.42 Ft 3,038

-40.66%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.38 Ft 766

-27.73%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.52 Ft 491

-57.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.17

$1.31 Ft 423

-74.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$2.26 Ft 727

4.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$2.26 Ft 729

72.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.04 Ft 337

97.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.68

$1.36 Ft 439

2.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.87

$1.20 Ft 385

6.67%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.2

$2.14 Ft 689

5.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$10.11 Ft 3,259

67.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$5.85 Ft 1,886

-53.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$12.19 Ft 3,930

-23.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$1.50 Ft 483

60.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.90

$1.56 Ft 502

-35.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.80 Ft 581

-10.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$2.94 Ft 948

-48.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.87

$1.01 Ft 327

26.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.20

$1.10 Ft 355

0.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.50 Ft 484

-52.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.53

$0.50 Ft 162

4.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$6.59 Ft 2,123

-34.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿592

$4.02 Ft 1,296

341.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.15 Ft 371

41.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.49 Ft 482

91.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.29

$1.21 Ft 389

-29.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,800

$26.82 Ft 8,644

100.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.15

$2.99 Ft 963

-60.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$1.71 Ft 551

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.1

$18.52 Ft 5,969

-87.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.29

$1.90 Ft 611

-23.68%

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

$20.5K ฿683.9K

$30.0K Ft 9.7M

-31.73%

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

$26.5K ฿885.5K

$38.4K Ft 12.4M

-31.02%

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

$62.3 ฿2,082

$121 Ft 39.0K

-48.52%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$21.64 Ft 6,975

-43.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿667

$16.31 Ft 5,257

22.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,266

$46.93 Ft 15.1K

-19.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿125

$17.64 Ft 5,686

-78.68%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$7.74 Ft 2,493

-13.31%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$248 Ft 80.0K

221.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.4K

$6,681 Ft 2.2M

122.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,779

$87.8 Ft 28.3K

-39.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$33.15 Ft 10.7K

-24.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,060

$72.4 Ft 23.3K

26.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,454

$59.7 Ft 19.2K

23.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$524 Ft 169.0K

-11.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$398 Ft 128.2K

-23.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$745 Ft 240.0K

22.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.4K

$658 Ft 212.2K

-16.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$2,812 Ft 906.4K

-32.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.0K

$2,822 Ft 909.7K

-49.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$1,210 Ft 389.9K

-50.79%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Tamási: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Tamási

$398 34.9% 30.5% $93

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Tamási

$206 18.1% 13.3% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Tamási

$114 10% 3.9% $4.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Tamási

$159 13.9% 68.1% $64

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Tamási

$158 13.9% 100% $79

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Tamási

$43 3.8% 29.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Tamási

$62 5.5% 21.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $524 in Tamási. 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 103% higher in Tamási, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $58.0 in Tamási. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $206 in Tamási – so Tamási wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇭🇺 Tamási

🕒 Local time

00:44 12:44 AM

19:44 7:44 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

8,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.77 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 October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 33.4 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.46 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 322 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 362 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.77 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Tamási 7,800 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Tamási

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 Tamási: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tamási costs about 22% 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,711 in Tamási. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $248 in Tamási. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 15% cheaper in Tamási – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Tamási at $1,141. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tamási it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,141 in Tamási. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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