Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Tarnow

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,182 in Tarnow, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Tarnow
Learn more

Tarnow Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Tarnow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,182 in Tarnow, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Tarnow $1,182

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,638 in Tarnow, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Tarnow $1,638

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,093 in Tarnow, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Tarnow $2,093

Chiang Mai is about 22% cheaper than Tarnow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Tarnow are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Tarnow 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$10.34 zł 40.16

-77.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$25.16 zł 97.8

-21.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$6.43 zł 24.96

-12.75%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.55 zł 9.91

-34.90%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$2.21 zł 8.57

-68.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$1.29 zł 5.03

-75.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$3.79 zł 14.73

-36.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$3.74 zł 14.54

-0.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$0.93 zł 3.60

109.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.15 zł 4.45

22.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.25 zł 4.87

4.80%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$2.44 zł 9.48

-10.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$7.86 zł 30.55

111.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$5.84 zł 22.70

-52.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$9.78 zł 37.98

-6.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$0.73 zł 2.84

227.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.55 zł 6.04

-33.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.29 zł 5.01

26.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.91 zł 7.42

-21.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.79 zł 3.06

63.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.02 zł 3.96

8.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.06 zł 4.12

-32.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.75 zł 2.91

-29.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$4.31 zł 16.75

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$6.28 zł 24.41

185.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$0.90 zł 3.50

75.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.35 zł 5.26

110.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.97 zł 3.76

-11.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$30.58 zł 119

74.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$1.30 zł 5.06

-6.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.75 zł 2.92

-24.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$10.45 zł 40.59

-77.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.62 zł 6.31

-11.11%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$31.2K zł 121.2K

-33.56%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$24.6K zł 95.8K

8.72%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$242 zł 940

-74.24%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$9.49 zł 36.86

27.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$16.41 zł 63.8

21.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$25.48 zł 99.0

45.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$11.65 zł 45.27

-67.55%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$4.52 zł 17.55

43.81%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$287 zł 1,117

175.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$2,538 zł 9,859

483.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$79.4 zł 309

-32.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$25.87 zł 101

-4.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$77.5 zł 301

17.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$111 zł 430

-35.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$437 zł 1,700

4.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$352 zł 1,369

-15.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$624 zł 2,423

45.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$463 zł 1,799

19.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$2,657 zł 10.3K

-27.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,750 zł 6,799

-17.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$1,000 zł 3,884

-40.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.68

-16.62%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Tarnow: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Tarnow

$352 29.8% 18.3% $54

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Tarnow

$183 15.5% 22.4% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Tarnow

$132 11.2% 22.1% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Tarnow

$268 22.7% 184% $173

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Tarnow

$173 14.6% 120% $94

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Tarnow

$40 3.3% 35% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Tarnow

$35 2.9% 31% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $437 in Tarnow. 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 69% higher in Tarnow, 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $25.00 in Tarnow. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $183 in Tarnow – so Tarnow wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇱 Tarnow

🕒 Local time

07:53 7:53 AM

02:53 2:53 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

106,748

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Tarnow 7,570 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Tarnow

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 Tarnow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tarnow costs about 28% 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,773 in Tarnow. 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 $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $287 in Tarnow. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 29% cheaper in Tarnow – 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 $925, than in Tarnow at $1,182. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tarnow it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,182 in Tarnow. 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, Tarnow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.