Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort-de-france and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,090 in Fort-de-france, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Fort-de-france
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Fort-de-france Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Fort-de-france

🇲🇶 Martinique

$2,090

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,090 per month in Fort-de-france vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fort-de-france $2,090
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,361 per month in Fort-de-france vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fort-de-france $3,361
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,632 per month in Fort-de-france vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fort-de-france $4,632
Chiang Mai $1,914

Fort-de-france costs about 123% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Fort-de-france sits 55% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.48 €20.00

$2.26 ฿75.4

894.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 €89.6

$19.18 ฿641

425.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.00 €13.34

$5.59 ฿187

168.34%

Cappuccino

$4.66 €4.15

$1.72 ฿57.6

170.93%

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

$3.65 €3.24

$0.64 ฿21.54

470.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 €3.40

$0.33 ฿11.18

1057.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.42 €6.60

$2.36 ฿78.7

214.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.08 €4.52

$3.90 ฿130

30.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.05 ฿68.6

-14.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.40 ฿46.70

40.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.47 €3.09

$1.28 ฿42.89

171.09%

Eggs

$6.26 €5.57

$2.25 ฿75.3

178.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.82 €16.74

$16.94 ฿566

11.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$22.09 €19.65

$2.74 ฿91.6

706.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.88 €17.68

$9.36 ฿313

112.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.53 €3.14

$2.40 ฿80.3

47.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.01 ฿33.92

35.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 €2.63

$1.61 ฿53.9

83.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.00 €6.22

$1.52 ฿50.7

360.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.28 ฿42.90

46.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 €1.93

$1.11 ฿37.22

94.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 €1.45

$0.72 ฿24.09

126.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.52 ฿17.54

36.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.01 €10.68

$4.33 ฿145

177.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.63 €7.67

$17.73 ฿593

-51.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.63 ฿54.4

4.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 €2.39

$2.85 ฿95.3

-5.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 €1.41

$0.85 ฿28.31

85.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.6 €44.96

$53.9 ฿1,801

-6.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.34 €3.86

$1.17 ฿39.18

270.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 €1.82

$0.57 ฿19.00

259.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.10 €37.45

$2.37 ฿79.2

1676.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.48 €2.20

$1.45 ฿48.32

71.03%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

72.40%

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

$34.1K €30.3K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

28.47%

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

$156 €139

$62.3 ฿2,083

150.28%

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

$11.03 €9.81

$12.27 ฿410

-10.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.11 €42.79

$19.97 ฿668

140.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.72 €33.55

$37.91 ฿1,267

-0.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.55 €15.61

$3.76 ฿126

366.76%

Cinema Ticket

$10.83 €9.64

$6.71 ฿224

61.40%

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

$511 €454

$797 ฿26.6K

-35.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,907 €3,475

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-73.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €97.8

$53.3 ฿1,780

106.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.45 €25.30

$25.05 ฿837

13.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$152 €135

$91.6 ฿3,062

66.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$208 €185

$73.5 ฿2,455

183.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 €885

$464 ฿15.5K

114.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$730 €649

$305 ฿10.2K

139.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,700 €1,512

$915 ฿30.6K

85.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,379 €1,227

$552 ฿18.5K

149.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,333 €2,076

$1,912 ฿63.9K

22.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,721 €2,421

$1,438 ฿48.1K

89.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,248 €1,999

$595 ฿19.9K

277.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.45

5.57

-73.97%

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

Last update for Fort-de-france: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fort-de-france

$730 34.9%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 58.3% $425

Groceries & Markets

Fort-de-france

$432 20.7%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 44.9% $194

Eating Out

Fort-de-france

$358 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 77.9% $279

Clothing & Footwear

Fort-de-france

$224 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 51.2% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort-de-france

$215 10.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 56% $121

Getting Around

Fort-de-france

$71 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 14.2% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Fort-de-france

$59 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 13.6% $8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Fort-de-france versus $464 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 278% higher in Fort-de-france, 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 $101 in Fort-de-france versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $432 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇶 Fort-de-france

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:23 3:23 AM

14:23 2:23 PM

11 h ahead of Fort-de-france

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,512 Capital

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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Fort-de-france Chiang Mai 15,710 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

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Fort-de-france
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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

Fort-de-france vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fort-de-france costs about 123% 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 $3,135 per month in Fort-de-france and $1,408 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 $511 per month in Fort-de-france and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 81% more in Fort-de-france, 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 $938, than in Fort-de-france at $2,090. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fort-de-france it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,090 in Fort-de-france. 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, Fort-de-france makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.