Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Zell am see

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,284 in Zell am see, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 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
109

Cost of Living Index in Zell am see
Learn more

Zell am see Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Zell am see

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,284

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Zell am see

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 Zell am see actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,284 in Zell am see, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Zell am see $2,284

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,355 in Zell am see, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Zell am see $3,355

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,427 in Zell am see, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Zell am see $4,427

Chiang Mai is about 59% cheaper than Zell am see, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Zell am see is 69% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$16.93 €15.14

-87.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$83.3 €74.5

-77.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$9.92 €8.87

-43.55%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$4.18 €3.74

-60.29%

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

$0.65 ฿21.83

$3.43 €3.06

-81.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$2.93 €2.62

-89.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.4

$5.61 €5.02

-58.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$5.29 €4.73

-30.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.72 €1.54

17.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.51

$2.46 €2.20

-42.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.96

$2.44 €2.18

-43.03%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$4.58 €4.10

-48.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$21.53 €19.26

-23.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$12.72 €11.38

-79.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$21.30 €19.05

-57.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.90 €2.59

-17.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.13

$2.59 €2.31

-59.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$3.43 €3.07

-51.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$3.98 €3.56

-60.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.76

$2.48 €2.22

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.66

$3.12 €2.79

-65.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$2.23 €1.99

-65.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$1.22 €1.09

-58.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$7.92 €7.08

-47.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$8.78 €7.85

104.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.30 €1.16

24.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$2.21 €1.98

27.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

$2.76 €2.46

-66.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

$56.9 €50.9

-7.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.70

$2.85 €2.55

-58.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.79

$0.91 €0.81

-81.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$30.99 €27.71

-94.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$1.76 €1.57

-16.48%

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

$21.0K ฿708.9K

$30.4K €27.2K

-30.87%

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

$26.5K ฿894.6K

$30.6K €27.3K

-13.21%

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

$62.6 ฿2,111

$342 €306

-81.70%

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

$11.60 ฿392

$15.74 €14.07

-26.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$37.72 €33.73

-46.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$40.28 €36.02

-5.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$22.52 €20.14

-83.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$15.60 €13.95

-58.27%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$443 €396

64.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.2K

$15.8K €14.1K

4.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,807

$84.7 €75.7

-36.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿837

$60.1 €53.7

-58.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,050

$113 €101

-20.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$123 €110

-41.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$1,011 €904

-52.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$900 €804

-65.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$1,571 €1,404

-32.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$1,409 €1,260

-53.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

$7,018 €6,275

-65.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$5,784 €5,172

-72.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.5

59.14%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Zell am see: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Zell am see

$900 39.4% 190% $590

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Zell am see

$391 17.1% 65.4% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Zell am see

$171 7.5% 58.3% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Zell am see

$395 17.3% 318% $301

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Zell am see

$279 12.2% 265% $203

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Zell am see

$75 3.3% 28.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Zell am see

$71 3.1% 40.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $1,011 in Zell am see. 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 $83 in Zell am see. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $391 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇦🇹 Zell am see

🕒 Local time

23:40 11:40 PM

17:40 5:40 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

10,131

💱 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 0.894 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Zell am see 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Zell am see

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 Zell am see: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zell am see costs about 144% 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 $3,426 in Zell am see. 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 $481 there versus $1,011 in Zell am see.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $443 in Zell am see. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 65% more in Zell am see, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $2,284 in Zell am see. 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $2,284 in Zell am see. 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.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 59% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.