Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Drachten and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,491 in Drachten, rent and utilities included – about $18,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Drachten
Learn more

Drachten Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Drachten

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,491

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Drachten and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,491 per month in Drachten vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Drachten $2,491
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,653 per month in Drachten vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Drachten $3,653
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,816 per month in Drachten vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Drachten $4,816
Chiang Mai $1,979

Drachten costs about 166% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Drachten sits 83% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.29 €21.82

$2.24 ฿75.7

984.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.4 €75.9

$19.00 ฿642

344.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.49 €12.12

$5.55 ฿188

143.06%

Cappuccino

$4.02 €3.61

$1.67 ฿56.6

140.72%

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

$3.76 €3.38

$0.64 ฿21.56

487.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.31 ฿10.32

912.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.56 €4.99

$2.36 ฿79.6

135.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 €5.13

$3.66 ฿124

56.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.95 ฿65.8

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.44 ฿48.51

-6.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.33 ฿45.07

15.79%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.52

$2.28 ฿77.1

121.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 €11.32

$16.45 ฿556

-23.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.58 €12.20

$2.78 ฿94.0

388.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.14 €10.90

$9.31 ฿314

30.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 €1.70

$2.35 ฿79.5

-19.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.15

$0.97 ฿32.82

147.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 €1.68

$1.60 ฿53.9

16.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 €2.75

$1.50 ฿50.7

104.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.28 ฿43.15

28.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.10 ฿37.22

39.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 €1.12

$0.71 ฿23.84

74.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.62

$0.49 ฿16.38

40.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.17 €8.24

$4.14 ฿140

121.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.66 €5.99

$17.52 ฿592

-61.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.61 ฿54.5

-7.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 €2.37

$2.78 ฿94.0

-5.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.66 €3.29

$0.87 ฿29.33

320.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.6 €80.5

$54.1 ฿1,827

65.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.16 €3.74

$1.16 ฿39.08

258.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.21 €2.89

$0.53 ฿17.82

505.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.57 €44.53

$2.42 ฿81.8

1948.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.02

$1.45 ฿48.93

55.17%

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

$41.0K €36.8K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

94.77%

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

$37.5K €33.7K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

39.15%

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

$277 €249

$62.2 ฿2,100

345.05%

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

$23.94 €21.50

$12.17 ฿411

96.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.81 €44.74

$20.12 ฿680

147.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.38 €37.17

$37.31 ฿1,260

10.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.42 €23.73

$3.77 ฿127

600.80%

Cinema Ticket

$16.14 €14.50

$6.49 ฿219

148.69%

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

$2,362 €2,122

$736 ฿24.9K

220.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,090 €7,267

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-45.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 €53.1

$53.4 ฿1,802

10.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.01 €39.53

$24.64 ฿832

78.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 €80.2

$91.5 ฿3,089

-2.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €120

$71.9 ฿2,429

86.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,436 €1,290

$482 ฿16.3K

197.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 €1,040

$309 ฿10.4K

274.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,345 €2,107

$1,006 ฿34.0K

133.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,871 €1,680

$633 ฿21.4K

195.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,630 €5,058

$2,363 ฿79.8K

138.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,529 €4,068

$1,589 ฿53.7K

185.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,606 €2,341

$590 ฿19.9K

341.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

5.57

-22.80%

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

Last update for Drachten: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Drachten

$1.2K 46.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 73.3% $849

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Drachten

$350 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 73% $256

Eating Out

Drachten

$350 14%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 77.8% $272

Groceries & Markets

Drachten

$288 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 18.5% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Drachten

$147 5.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 26% $38

Getting Around

Drachten

$124 5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 50.7% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Drachten

$74 3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 31.7% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,436 in Drachten versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Drachten are about 4.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Drachten versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Drachten

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:09 4:09 AM

10:09 10:09 AM

6 h ahead of Drachten

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,186

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Drachten Chiang Mai 8,540 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Drachten
Chiang Mai

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

Drachten vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Drachten costs about 166% 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 $3,737 per month in Drachten and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. 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 $1,436 in Drachten.

Kindergarten costs $2,362 per month in Drachten and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Drachten, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,491 in Drachten and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Drachten makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.