Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Zebbug

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,976 in Zebbug, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 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
98

Cost of Living Index in Zebbug
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Zebbug Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Zebbug

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,976

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,976 in Zebbug, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Zebbug $1,976

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,113 in Zebbug, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Zebbug $3,113

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,251 in Zebbug, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Zebbug $4,251

Chiang Mai is about 53% cheaper than Zebbug, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Zebbug is 45% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$19.75 €17.62

-88.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$79.0 €70.5

-75.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.42 €6.62

-25.20%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.23 €2.89

-48.30%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$2.18 €1.95

-70.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$1.14 €1.01

-72.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$4.59 €4.10

-48.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.85 €4.33

-24.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.37 €1.22

42.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$1.46 €1.30

-1.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$3.47 €3.09

-61.67%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$4.25 €3.79

-46.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$10.44 €9.32

57.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$12.17 €10.86

-77.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$17.95 €16.02

-48.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.81 €3.40

-38.32%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$2.72 €2.43

-64.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.90 €3.48

-58.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.83 €3.42

-60.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$1.84 €1.64

-30.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$3.41 €3.04

-67.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$2.31 €2.06

-69.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.56 €1.39

-68.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.36 €5.68

-34.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$5.84 €5.21

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.39 €2.13

-32.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.38 €2.12

16.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$2.19 €1.95

-60.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$3.80 €3.39

-69.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$1.78 €1.58

-70.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$32.46 €28.96

-92.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.54 €1.38

-5.84%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$28.2K €25.1K

-25.23%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$39.5K €35.3K

-31.85%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$155 €138

-59.83%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$31.52 €28.12

-61.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$28.99 €25.86

-30.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$63.6 €56.7

-41.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$11.47 €10.23

-43.42%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$274 €244

168.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$12.3K €10.9K

20.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$57.4 €51.2

-7.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$69.1 €61.7

-64.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$113 €101

-19.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$129 €115

-44.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,153 €1,029

-58.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$877 €783

-64.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$2,014 €1,797

-50.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,663 €1,483

-61.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$4,052 €3,615

-41.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,847 €2,540

-44.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.05

37.53%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Zebbug: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Zebbug

$877 44.4% 184% $569

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Zebbug

$344 17.4% 46.8% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Zebbug

$166 8.4% 52.9% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Zebbug

$215 10.9% 128% $121

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Zebbug

$265 13.4% 242% $187

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Zebbug

$21 * 1.1% 65.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Zebbug

$87 4.4% 72.1% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,153 in Zebbug. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $79 in Zebbug. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $344 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇹 Zebbug

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

21:15 9:15 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,770

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Zebbug 8,330 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Zebbug

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 Zebbug: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zebbug costs about 111% 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 $2,964 in Zebbug. 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 $1,153 in Zebbug.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $79 in Zebbug. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 47% more in Zebbug, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,976 in Zebbug. 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 $1,976 in Zebbug. 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.