Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Zawiercie

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,328 in Zawiercie, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Zawiercie outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Zawiercie, Poland
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Zawiercie
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,328
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,328 in Zawiercie, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Zawiercie $1,328

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,886 in Zawiercie, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Zawiercie $1,886

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,445 in Zawiercie, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Zawiercie $2,445

Chiang Mai is about 30% cheaper than Zawiercie, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Zawiercie are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Zawiercie 2% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Zawiercie
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.6
$6.41 zł 25.28
-65.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿641
$33.62 zł 133
-43.49%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿187
$8.04 zł 31.74
-30.97%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.5
$1.98 zł 7.80
-15.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.53
$1.26 zł 4.96
-49.21%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.30
$0.60 zł 2.37
-48.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.5
$2.76 zł 10.87
-14.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$3.21 zł 12.66
14.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Zawiercie
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.7
$0.90 zł 3.55
116.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.45
$1.03 zł 4.08
39.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.01
$1.47 zł 5.81
-9.52%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.0
$2.70 zł 10.64
-15.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿555
$7.93 zł 31.30
107.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿93.8
$5.38 zł 21.23
-48.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$11.71 zł 46.19
-20.50%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.4
$0.90 zł 3.55
161.11%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.78
$1.40 zł 5.51
-30.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$1.41 zł 5.56
13.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$2.62 zł 10.34
-42.75%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.10
$0.75 zł 2.95
70.67%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.17
$0.79 zł 3.11
39.24%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.81
$1.28 zł 5.05
-44.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.36
$0.49 zł 1.95
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$4.78 zł 18.84
-13.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿591
$6.33 zł 24.97
176.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$1.03 zł 4.07
56.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿93.9
$1.66 zł 6.57
67.47%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Zawiercie
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.29
$1.03 zł 4.04
-15.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,825
$29.66 zł 117
82.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.03
$1.81 zł 7.16
-35.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.79
$0.74 zł 2.94
-28.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.7
$10.86 zł 42.84
-77.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.87
$1.66 zł 6.56
-12.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿710.3K
$30.8K zł 121.5K
-31.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿908.7K
$27.6K zł 109.0K
-2.52%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Zawiercie
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,097
$266 zł 1,049
-76.61%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿410
$7.91 zł 31.21
53.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿679
$10.02 zł 39.53
100.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Zawiercie
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,259
$40.29 zł 159
-7.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
$20.69 zł 81.6
-81.78%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$5.11 zł 20.16
27.01%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Zawiercie
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.8K
$562 zł 2,218
30.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.0K
$12.0K zł 47.3K
23.23%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Zawiercie
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,800
$69.7 zł 275
-23.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿831
$30.81 zł 122
-20.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,086
$88.4 zł 349
3.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,426
$93.4 zł 368
-22.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Zawiercie
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$595 zł 2,346
-18.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$511 zł 2,015
-39.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿33.9K
$954 zł 3,764
5.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$808 zł 3,186
-21.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.7K
$2,921 zł 11.5K
-19.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.6K
$2,142 zł 8,450
-25.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Zawiercie
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
$861 zł 3,398
-31.53%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
7.19
-22.53%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Zawiercie: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Zawiercie
$511 65.4% $202
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Zawiercie
$189 19.2% $45
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Zawiercie
$127 16.9% $18
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Zawiercie
$284 200% $189
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Zawiercie
$127 63.4% $49
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Zawiercie
$39 36% $22
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Zawiercie
$51 0.5% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $595 in Zawiercie. 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 46% higher in Zawiercie. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $34 in Zawiercie. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $189 in Zawiercie – so Zawiercie wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇵🇱 Zawiercie
🕒 Local time
20:58 8:58 PM
14:58 2:58 PM
6 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
48,412
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.94 PLN (1 PLN = 0.253 USD). 1 EUR = 4.4 PLN (1 PLN = 0.227 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Zawiercie 7,670 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Zawiercie

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 Zawiercie: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Zawiercie?
Zawiercie costs about 42% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Zawiercie?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,992 in Zawiercie. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Zawiercie?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $595 in Zawiercie.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Zawiercie?
Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $562 in Zawiercie. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Zawiercie?
Interestingly, groceries are about 19% cheaper in Zawiercie – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Can you live on $800/month in Chiang Mai or in Zawiercie?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,328 in Zawiercie. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Chiang Mai or Zawiercie?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,328 in Zawiercie. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Zawiercie?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Chiang Mai or to Zawiercie?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Zawiercie makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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