Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Zalaegerszeg

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,079 in Zalaegerszeg, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Zalaegerszeg
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Zalaegerszeg Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Zalaegerszeg

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,079

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,079 in Zalaegerszeg, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Zalaegerszeg $1,079

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,632 in Zalaegerszeg, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Zalaegerszeg $1,632

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,185 in Zalaegerszeg, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Zalaegerszeg $2,185

Chiang Mai is about 13% cheaper than Zalaegerszeg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Zalaegerszeg are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Zalaegerszeg 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.3

$13.95 Ft 4,497

-83.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$61.5 Ft 19.8K

-68.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$9.40 Ft 3,029

-40.53%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.99 Ft 963

-42.47%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$2.05 Ft 659

-68.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.17

$1.29 Ft 415

-74.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.97 Ft 635

19.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$2.03 Ft 655

92.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.19 Ft 382

72.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.68

$1.49 Ft 479

-6.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.87

$2.50 Ft 805

-48.80%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.2

$3.46 Ft 1,114

-34.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$11.38 Ft 3,668

48.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$5.85 Ft 1,885

-53.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$12.48 Ft 4,022

-25.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$1.84 Ft 593

30.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.90

$2.05 Ft 659

-50.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$2.03 Ft 653

-20.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$4.01 Ft 1,291

-62.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.87

$1.04 Ft 337

23.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.20

$1.00 Ft 322

11.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.33 Ft 430

-45.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.53

$0.55 Ft 176

-5.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$7.83 Ft 2,524

-44.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿592

$6.17 Ft 1,990

187.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.12 Ft 362

45.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.09 Ft 674

36.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.29

$1.14 Ft 368

-25.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,800

$18.30 Ft 5,898

194.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.15

$3.41 Ft 1,098

-65.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$1.25 Ft 402

-54.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.1

$20.06 Ft 6,466

-88.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.29

$1.80 Ft 579

-19.44%

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

$20.5K ฿683.9K

$28.6K Ft 9.2M

-28.34%

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

$26.5K ฿885.5K

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-21.57%

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

$62.3 ฿2,082

$144 Ft 46.4K

-56.67%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$23.83 Ft 7,682

-48.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿667

$23.45 Ft 7,558

-14.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,266

$38.51 Ft 12.4K

-1.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿125

$36.86 Ft 11.9K

-89.80%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$7.45 Ft 2,402

-9.93%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$216 Ft 69.8K

268.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.4K

$17.0K Ft 5.5M

-12.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,779

$29.98 Ft 9,664

77.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$24.66 Ft 7,950

1.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,060

$51.0 Ft 16.4K

79.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,454

$55.7 Ft 18.0K

31.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$332 Ft 106.9K

39.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$286 Ft 92.3K

6.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$454 Ft 146.2K

101.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.4K

$311 Ft 100.3K

77.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$1,818 Ft 586.0K

5.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.0K

$1,519 Ft 489.5K

-5.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$762 Ft 245.6K

-21.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.45

-13.64%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Zalaegerszeg: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Zalaegerszeg

$286 26.6% 6% $18

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Zalaegerszeg

$240 22.3% 0.9% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Zalaegerszeg

$73 6.7% 33.7% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Zalaegerszeg

$191 17.7% 102% $97

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Zalaegerszeg

$203 18.8% 157% $124

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Zalaegerszeg

$33 3% 47% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Zalaegerszeg

$53 5% 4% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $332 in Zalaegerszeg. 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 28% higher in Zalaegerszeg, 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 $61.0 in Zalaegerszeg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $240 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇭🇺 Zalaegerszeg

🕒 Local time

23:24 11:24 PM

18:24 6:24 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

55,152

💱 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

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Zalaegerszeg 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Zalaegerszeg

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 Zalaegerszeg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zalaegerszeg costs about 15% 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 $1,618 in Zalaegerszeg. 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 $216 in Zalaegerszeg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Zalaegerszeg, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Zalaegerszeg at $1,079. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zalaegerszeg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,079 in Zalaegerszeg. 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, Zalaegerszeg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.