Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Drama and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,219 in Drama, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Drama
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Drama Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Drama

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,219

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Drama 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 Drama and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,219 per month in Drama vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Drama $1,219
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,825 per month in Drama vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Drama $1,825
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,430 per month in Drama vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Drama $2,430
Chiang Mai $1,979

Drama costs about 30% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Drama and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Drama 10% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.73 €14.99

$2.24 ฿75.6

646.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.79 €40.14

$19.00 ฿641

135.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.31 €10.14

$5.55 ฿187

103.78%

Cappuccino

$2.55 €2.28

$1.67 ฿56.5

52.69%

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

$2.26 €2.03

$0.64 ฿21.55

253.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.68

$0.31 ฿10.31

141.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 €2.95

$2.36 ฿79.6

39.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 €4.02

$3.66 ฿124

22.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.95 ฿65.8

-14.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.44 ฿48.48

24.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.33 ฿45.04

-14.29%

Eggs

$5.23 €4.69

$2.28 ฿77.1

129.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.98 €12.53

$16.45 ฿555

-15.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.34 €8.37

$2.78 ฿93.9

235.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.95 €12.50

$9.31 ฿314

49.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.42 €1.27

$2.35 ฿79.4

-39.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 €1.23

$0.97 ฿32.80

41.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.60 ฿53.9

-26.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.88

$1.50 ฿50.6

40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 €0.83

$1.28 ฿43.12

-28.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.10 ฿37.19

10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.71 ฿23.82

115.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.49 ฿16.37

79.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.13 €4.59

$4.14 ฿140

23.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.68 €5.09

$17.52 ฿591

-67.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$1.61 ฿54.5

-36.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.76

$2.78 ฿94.0

-29.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 €3.84

$1.16 ฿39.06

268.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.53 ฿17.80

115.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.73 €15.00

$2.42 ฿81.8

591.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.99

$1.45 ฿48.90

53.10%

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

$28.4K €25.4K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

34.81%

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

$28.2K €25.3K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

4.73%

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

$191 €171

$62.2 ฿2,098

206.61%

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

$22.90 €20.52

$12.17 ฿411

88.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.29 €27.14

$20.12 ฿679

50.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.64 €38.21

$37.31 ฿1,259

14.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$9.02 €8.09

$6.49 ฿219

38.98%

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

$447 €401

$736 ฿24.8K

-39.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,012 €8,075

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-38.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.8 €87.6

$53.4 ฿1,801

83.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.45 €20.12

$24.64 ฿831

-8.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.2 €53.1

$91.5 ฿3,087

-35.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.0 €59.2

$71.9 ฿2,428

-8.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$355 €318

$482 ฿16.3K

-26.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$295 €265

$309 ฿10.4K

-4.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 €559

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-37.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 €399

$633 ฿21.4K

-29.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,503 €1,347

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-36.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,215 €2,881

$1,589 ฿53.6K

102.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,125 €1,008

$590 ฿19.9K

90.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.27

5.57

-23.34%

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

Last update for Drama: 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

Drama

$295 24.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 4.6% $14

Groceries & Markets

Drama

$263 21.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 11% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Drama

$244 20%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 61.3% $149

Eating Out

Drama

$236 19.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 67.1% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Drama

$110 9.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 1.6% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Drama

$61 5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 17.1% $10

Getting Around

Drama

$10 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 516% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $355 in Drama 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 run about 91% higher in Drama. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Drama versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Drama

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

10:16 10:16 AM

5 h ahead of Drama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

42,501

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Drama Chiang Mai 7,400 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Drama
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

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

Drama costs about 30% 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 $1,829 per month in Drama 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 Drama, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $355 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Drama and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Drama, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,219 in Drama and $936 in Chiang Mai. 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 $1,219 in Drama. 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.

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