Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ferney-Voltaire and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,510 in Ferney-Voltaire, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Ferney-Voltaire
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Ferney-Voltaire Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ferney-Voltaire

🇫🇷 France

$2,510

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,510 per month in Ferney-Voltaire vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ferney-Voltaire $2,510
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $4,028 per month in Ferney-Voltaire vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ferney-Voltaire $4,028
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $5,547 per month in Ferney-Voltaire vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ferney-Voltaire $5,547
Chiang Mai $1,903

Ferney-Voltaire costs about 171% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ferney-Voltaire sits 85% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.16 €17.93

$2.29 ฿76.5

780.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.8 €70.1

$19.64 ฿656

301.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.59 €16.54

$5.61 ฿188

231.37%

Cappuccino

$4.72 €4.20

$1.66 ฿55.6

184.34%

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

$3.32 €2.95

$0.70 ฿23.40

374.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.68

$0.31 ฿10.24

509.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.26 €6.46

$2.41 ฿80.4

201.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$3.71 ฿124

52.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.95 ฿65.3

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.41 ฿47.03

38.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.31 ฿43.62

44.27%

Eggs

$3.30 €2.93

$2.18 ฿72.9

51.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.30 €17.17

$16.65 ฿556

15.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.42 €11.05

$2.76 ฿92.2

350.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 €10.02

$9.11 ฿304

23.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

$2.39 ฿80.0

19.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.03 ฿34.26

111.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.63 ฿54.4

107.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.50 ฿50.0

46.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.29 ฿43.13

49.61%

Onion (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.11 ฿37.03

98.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 €1.01

$0.72 ฿24.08

58.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.67

$0.53 ฿17.59

43.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.79 €13.15

$4.31 ฿144

243.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.72 €5.09

$17.95 ฿600

-68.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.58 ฿52.9

10.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$2.84 ฿95.0

-22.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.31 €2.95

$0.86 ฿28.86

284.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.51 €44.04

$53.3 ฿1,780

-7.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.73 €7.77

$1.21 ฿40.29

621.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.49 €2.21

$0.57 ฿18.99

336.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.18 €30.40

$2.35 ฿78.6

1354.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.44 ฿47.96

54.17%

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

$35.0K €31.1K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

68.88%

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

$36.7K €32.6K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

36.88%

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

$161 €143

$62.3 ฿2,083

157.63%

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

$9.85 €8.77

$12.11 ฿405

-18.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.0 €47.99

$19.94 ฿666

170.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$99.7 €88.7

$37.07 ฿1,239

168.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$11.40 €10.14

$6.50 ฿217

75.38%

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

$2,464 €2,192

$793 ฿26.5K

210.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$45.2K €40.2K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

205.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.15 €39.27

$53.7 ฿1,796

-17.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.68 €37.96

$24.62 ฿823

73.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.0 €86.3

$90.9 ฿3,036

6.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 €97.8

$71.1 ฿2,378

54.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,587 €1,412

$455 ฿15.2K

248.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,291 €1,148

$298 ฿9,954

333.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,760 €2,455

$908 ฿30.4K

203.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,783 €2,476

$554 ฿18.5K

402.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,150 €3,692

$1,931 ฿64.5K

114.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,555 €4,941

$1,445 ฿48.3K

284.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,961 €3,523

$591 ฿19.7K

570.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

5.57

-34.47%

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

Last update for Ferney-Voltaire: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ferney-Voltaire

$1.3K 51.4%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 76.9% $993

Eating Out

Ferney-Voltaire

$342 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 77% $264

Groceries & Markets

Ferney-Voltaire

$314 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 25% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ferney-Voltaire

$224 8.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 57.9% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Ferney-Voltaire

$132 5.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 18.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Ferney-Voltaire

$122 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 59.1% $72

Getting Around

Ferney-Voltaire

$84 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 27.6% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,587 in Ferney-Voltaire versus $455 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 570% higher in Ferney-Voltaire, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Ferney-Voltaire versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $314 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Ferney-Voltaire

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:51 12:51 PM

17:51 5:51 PM

5 h ahead of Ferney-Voltaire

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,920

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Ferney-Voltaire Chiang Mai 8,730 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ferney-Voltaire
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

Ferney-Voltaire vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ferney-Voltaire costs about 171% 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 $3,764 per month in Ferney-Voltaire and $1,388 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $2,464 per month in Ferney-Voltaire and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Ferney-Voltaire, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Ferney-Voltaire at $2,510. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ferney-Voltaire it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,510 in Ferney-Voltaire. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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