Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galway and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $3,268 in Galway, rent and utilities included – about $28,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

160

Cost of Living Index in Galway
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Galway Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Galway

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,268

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,268 per month in Galway vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Galway $3,268
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $4,575 per month in Galway vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Galway $4,575
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $5,881 per month in Galway vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Galway $5,881
Chiang Mai $1,903

Galway costs about 253% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Galway sits 141% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.87 €20.34

$2.29 ฿76.5

898.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$114 €101

$19.64 ฿656

479.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.74 €14.89

$5.61 ฿188

198.40%

Cappuccino

$4.97 €4.42

$1.66 ฿55.6

199.40%

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

$3.01 €2.68

$0.70 ฿23.40

330.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.31 ฿10.24

606.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.74 €6.89

$2.41 ฿80.4

221.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 €6.03

$3.71 ฿124

82.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.95 ฿65.3

-16.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.41 ฿47.03

67.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.31 ฿43.62

74.05%

Eggs

$4.38 €3.89

$2.18 ฿72.9

100.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.87 €15.01

$16.65 ฿556

1.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.88 €9.68

$2.76 ฿92.2

294.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.29 €11.82

$9.11 ฿304

45.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 €2.71

$2.39 ฿80.0

27.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.03 ฿34.26

111.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$1.63 ฿54.4

85.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.10 €3.65

$1.50 ฿50.0

173.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.29 ฿43.13

53.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.11 ฿37.03

39.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$0.72 ฿24.08

83.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.63

$0.53 ฿17.59

245.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.25 €18.01

$4.31 ฿144

369.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.76 €12.24

$17.95 ฿600

-23.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.13 €3.67

$1.58 ฿52.9

161.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 €4.07

$2.84 ฿95.0

61.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.10 €1.86

$0.86 ฿28.86

144.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.7 €54.9

$53.3 ฿1,780

15.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 €4.79

$1.21 ฿40.29

345.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.57 ฿18.99

152.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.0 €48.93

$2.35 ฿78.6

2240.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.44 ฿47.96

50.00%

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

$38.6K €34.3K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

86.23%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

43.74%

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

$241 €214

$62.3 ฿2,083

286.01%

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

$20.86 €18.56

$12.11 ฿405

72.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 €45.08

$19.94 ฿666

154.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.14 €39.26

$37.07 ฿1,239

19.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.15 €19.70

$3.78 ฿126

485.98%

Cinema Ticket

$13.32 €11.85

$6.50 ฿217

104.92%

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

$996 €886

$793 ฿26.5K

25.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €90.4

$53.7 ฿1,796

89.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.57 €42.32

$24.62 ฿823

93.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €100

$90.9 ฿3,036

24.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €104

$71.1 ฿2,378

64.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,293 €2,040

$455 ฿15.2K

403.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,900 €1,690

$298 ฿9,954

537.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,654 €3,250

$908 ฿30.4K

302.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,704 €2,405

$554 ฿18.5K

388.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,129 €5,452

$1,931 ฿64.5K

217.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,623 €4,112

$1,445 ฿48.3K

220.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,929 €2,605

$591 ฿19.7K

395.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

5.57

-33.93%

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

Last update for Galway: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galway

$1.9K 58.1%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 84.3% $1.6K

Eating Out

Galway

$366 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 78.5% $287

Groceries & Markets

Galway

$366 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 35.6% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galway

$312 9.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 69.8% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Galway

$170 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 36.5% $62

Getting Around

Galway

$83 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 26.5% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Galway

$71 2.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 29.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,293 in Galway 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 396% higher in Galway, 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 $114 in Galway versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $366 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Galway

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

10:51 10:51 AM

6 h ahead of Galway

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,529

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

On the map

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Between locations

Galway Chiang Mai 9,480 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Galway
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

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

Galway costs about 253% 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 $4,902 per month in Galway 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 $996 per month in Galway 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 55% more in Galway, 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 Galway at $3,268. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Galway it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $3,268 in Galway. 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, Galway makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.