Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Vac

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,311 in Vac, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Vac
Learn more

Vac Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Vac

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,311

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,311 in Vac, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Vac $1,311

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,202 in Vac, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Vac $2,202

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,093 in Vac, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Vac $3,093

Chiang Mai is about 29% cheaper than Vac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Vac are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Vac 4% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$19.06 Ft 6,200

-88.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$108 Ft 35.0K

-82.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.21 Ft 2,997

-39.74%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.35 Ft 766

-28.94%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.58 Ft 514

-59.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$1.27 Ft 412

-75.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.22 Ft 721

6.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$2.33 Ft 759

57.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.30 Ft 422

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.45 Ft 473

-0.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$2.21 Ft 720

-39.82%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$3.15 Ft 1,023

-27.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$8.20 Ft 2,668

100.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$5.75 Ft 1,871

-51.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$16.39 Ft 5,333

-43.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.85 Ft 601

27.03%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$2.09 Ft 679

-53.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$2.07 Ft 673

-22.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.33 Ft 759

-35.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.65 Ft 537

-22.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.05 Ft 341

4.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$1.36 Ft 443

-47.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.49 Ft 160

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$7.88 Ft 2,563

-47.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$5.01 Ft 1,631

249.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$0.90 Ft 293

78.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.15 Ft 700

29.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$1.34 Ft 436

-35.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$29.11 Ft 9,473

85.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$2.80 Ft 912

-58.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$1.62 Ft 526

-67.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$19.06 Ft 6,202

-87.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.90 Ft 619

-23.68%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$30.7K Ft 10.0M

-31.31%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$36.3K Ft 11.8M

-25.79%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$149 Ft 48.6K

-58.40%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$24.03 Ft 7,818

-49.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$20.82 Ft 6,775

-3.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$48.05 Ft 15.6K

-22.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$20.02 Ft 6,515

-81.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.70 Ft 2,830

-25.40%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$247 Ft 80.3K

198.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$8,276 Ft 2.7M

78.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$87.8 Ft 28.6K

-39.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$31.29 Ft 10.2K

-21.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$85.6 Ft 27.8K

6.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$99.9 Ft 32.5K

-28.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$514 Ft 167.4K

-6.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$403 Ft 131.0K

-23.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$824 Ft 268.0K

22.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$749 Ft 243.5K

-15.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$3,235 Ft 1.1M

-26.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,437 Ft 792.9K

-34.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,425 Ft 463.7K

-58.62%

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 Vac: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Vac

$403 30.7% 30.4% $94

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Vac

$230 17.6% 1.7% $4

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Vac

$137 10.5% 26.2% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Vac

$194 14.8% 106% $100

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Vac

$235 18% 204% $158

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Vac

$45 3.5% 26.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Vac

$65 5% 30.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $514 in Vac. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Vac are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $108 in Vac. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $230 in Vac – so Vac wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇭🇺 Vac

🕒 Local time

17:01 5:01 PM

11:01 11:01 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

34,001

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Vac 7,730 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Vac

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 Vac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vac costs about 40% 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 $1,966 in Vac. 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 $514 in Vac. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $108 in Vac. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 46% less in Vac. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,311 in Vac. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,311 in Vac. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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