Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Zabbar

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,820 in Zabbar, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 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
88

Cost of Living Index in Zabbar
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Zabbar Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Zabbar

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,820 in Zabbar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Zabbar $1,820

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,669 in Zabbar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Zabbar $2,669

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,517 in Zabbar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Zabbar $3,517

Chiang Mai is about 49% cheaper than Zabbar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Zabbar is 34% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$16.92 €15.20

-86.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$38.62 €34.69

-50.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.71 €6.93

-28.02%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.68 €2.41

-37.69%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$2.29 €2.06

-72.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.65 €0.58

-52.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.22 €1.99

6.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.42 €3.97

-17.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.10 €0.99

77.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.58 €0.52

148.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.09 €0.98

22.02%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.99 €3.58

-42.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$5.50 €4.94

199.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.44 €3.99

-37.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.17 €9.13

-8.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$4.16 €3.74

-43.51%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$2.82 €2.53

-65.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.65 €3.28

-56.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.37 €3.03

-55.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$2.30 €2.07

-44.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.86 €1.67

-40.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$2.27 €2.04

-68.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.15 €1.04

-57.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.58 €5.91

-37.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.93 €7.13

120.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.62 €1.46

-0.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.34 €2.11

18.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$2.52 €2.27

-65.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$16.80 €15.09

221.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$4.80 €4.31

-75.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$2.26 €2.03

-76.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$26.39 €23.70

-90.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.49 €1.34

-2.68%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$38.1K €34.3K

-44.78%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$38.2K €34.4K

-29.54%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$104 €93.6

-40.33%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$24.98 €22.44

-51.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$43.67 €39.23

-53.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$64.9 €58.3

-42.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$11.35 €10.19

-66.78%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.22 €9.18

-36.50%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$373 €335

97.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$2,245 €2,017

557.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$88.1 €79.2

-39.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$41.17 €36.98

-40.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$98.8 €88.7

-7.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$78.2 €70.3

-8.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,147 €1,030

-57.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$921 €827

-66.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,795 €1,613

-43.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,528 €1,372

-58.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$4,048 €3,636

-41.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$4,152 €3,730

-61.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,095 €984

-46.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.9

92.07%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Zabbar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Zabbar

$921 50.6% 198% $612

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Zabbar

$238 13.1% 1.4% $3.2

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Zabbar

$138 7.6% 26.9% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Zabbar

$173 9.5% 83% $78

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Zabbar

$222 12.2% 187% $145

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Zabbar

$43 2.4% 29.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Zabbar

$85 4.7% 69.8% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,147 in Zabbar. 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 86% higher in Zabbar, 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 in Chiang Mai versus $39 in Zabbar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇹 Zabbar

🕒 Local time

01:50 1:50 AM

19:50 7:50 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

15,404

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Zabbar 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Zabbar

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 Zabbar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zabbar costs about 95% 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 $2,730 in Zabbar. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,147 in Zabbar.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $39 in Zabbar. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 69% less in Zabbar. 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 $1,820 in Zabbar. 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 $1,820 in Zabbar. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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