Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fier and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $977 in Fier, rent and utilities included – about $490 less a year. The total is higher in Fier despite lower rent and utilities.

47

Cost of Living Index in Fier
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Fier Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Fier

🇦🇱 Albania

$977

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $977 per month in Fier vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fier $977
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,544 per month in Fier vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fier $1,544
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,112 per month in Fier vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fier $2,112
Chiang Mai $1,979

Fier costs about 4% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Fier and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Fier 28% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.10 ALL 823

$2.24 ฿75.5

350.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.58 ALL 3,060

$19.00 ฿640

97.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.74 ALL 305

$5.55 ฿187

-32.61%

Cappuccino

$2.25 ALL 184

$1.67 ฿56.4

34.73%

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

$2.21 ALL 180

$0.64 ฿21.51

245.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 ALL 80.1

$0.31 ฿10.29

216.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.88 ALL 153

$2.36 ฿79.5

-20.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 ALL 275

$3.66 ฿123

-7.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ALL 177

$1.95 ฿65.7

11.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 ALL 97.7

$1.44 ฿48.41

-16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ALL 178

$1.33 ฿44.97

64.66%

Eggs

$3.87 ALL 315

$2.28 ฿77.0

69.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.96 ALL 1,056

$16.45 ฿554

-21.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.69 ALL 708

$2.78 ฿93.8

212.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.43 ALL 1,094

$9.31 ฿314

44.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.39 ALL 113

$2.35 ฿79.3

-40.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.52 ALL 205

$0.97 ฿32.75

159.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 ALL 142

$1.60 ฿53.8

8.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ALL 117

$1.50 ฿50.6

-4.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 ALL 76.9

$1.28 ฿43.06

-26.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 ALL 83.6

$1.10 ฿37.14

-6.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ALL 83.2

$0.71 ฿23.79

43.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ALL 52.4

$0.49 ฿16.34

30.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.69 ALL 382

$4.14 ฿140

13.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.56 ALL 860

$17.52 ฿590

-39.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 ALL 122

$1.61 ฿54.4

-6.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 ALL 172

$2.78 ฿93.8

-23.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 ALL 41.66

$0.87 ฿29.27

-41.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.11 ALL 1,638

$54.1 ฿1,823

-62.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 ALL 206

$1.16 ฿39.00

118.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 ALL 102

$0.53 ฿17.78

135.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.24 ALL 1,485

$2.42 ฿81.6

653.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 ALL 168

$1.45 ฿48.82

42.07%

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

$18.7K ALL 1.5M

$21.1K ฿709.7K

-11.21%

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

$29.8K ALL 2.4M

$26.9K ฿907.9K

10.53%

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

$97.5 ALL 7,938

$62.2 ฿2,095

56.78%

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

$18.63 ALL 1,518

$12.17 ฿410

53.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.49 ALL 1,506

$20.12 ฿678

-8.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.3 ALL 4,748

$37.31 ฿1,257

56.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$9.73 ALL 792

$6.49 ฿219

49.92%

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

$251 ALL 20.4K

$736 ฿24.8K

-65.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,281 ALL 674.4K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-43.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.52 ALL 3,952

$53.4 ฿1,799

-9.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.15 ALL 3,921

$24.64 ฿830

95.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 ALL 8,004

$91.5 ฿3,083

7.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 ALL 9,314

$71.9 ฿2,424

58.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$235 ALL 19.1K

$482 ฿16.3K

-51.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$180 ALL 14.7K

$309 ฿10.4K

-41.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$412 ALL 33.6K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-59.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 ALL 25.9K

$633 ฿21.3K

-49.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,245 ALL 101.4K

$2,363 ฿79.6K

-47.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$986 ALL 80.3K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-37.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$557 ALL 45.3K

$590 ฿19.9K

-5.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.16

5.57

-7.36%

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

Last update for Fier: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Fier

$266 27.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 12% $32

Accommodation & Living

Fier

$180 18.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 71.7% $129

Eating Out

Fier

$148 15.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 47.6% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Fier

$139 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 21.9% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fier

$135 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 29.8% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Fier

$78 8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 35.3% $27

Getting Around

Fier

$31 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 98.3% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $235 in Fier 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 6% higher in Chiang Mai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Fier versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $266 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Fier

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

09:50 9:50 AM

6 h ahead of Fier

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,845

127,240

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇱 Albanian Lek (L)

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 81.44 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 90.66 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to ALL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Fier Chiang Mai 7,790 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Fier
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

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

Fier costs about 4% 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 $1,465 per month in Fier 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 Fier, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $235 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $251 per month in Fier 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 14% more in Fier, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $977 in Fier 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 $977 in Fier. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.