Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Geleen and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,469 in Geleen, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Geleen
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Geleen Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Geleen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,469

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,469 per month in Geleen vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Geleen $2,469
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,664 per month in Geleen vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Geleen $3,664
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,858 per month in Geleen vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Geleen $4,858
Chiang Mai $1,979

Geleen costs about 164% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Geleen sits 81% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.16 €18.11

$2.24 ฿75.7

800.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.7 €85.1

$19.00 ฿642

398.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.37 €11.11

$5.55 ฿188

122.88%

Cappuccino

$4.07 €3.66

$1.67 ฿56.6

143.71%

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

$3.70 €3.33

$0.64 ฿21.56

478.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 €2.72

$0.31 ฿10.32

874.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.22 €5.59

$2.36 ฿79.6

163.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 €5.12

$3.66 ฿124

55.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.15

$1.95 ฿65.8

-34.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.44 ฿48.51

27.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.71 €2.44

$1.33 ฿45.07

103.76%

Eggs

$4.49 €4.03

$2.28 ฿77.1

96.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.53 €13.05

$16.45 ฿556

-11.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.76 €12.37

$2.78 ฿94.0

394.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.75 €14.15

$9.31 ฿314

69.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 €2.31

$2.35 ฿79.5

9.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.48 €2.23

$0.97 ฿32.82

155.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.60 ฿53.9

19.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 €4.07

$1.50 ฿50.7

201.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$1.28 ฿43.15

51.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 €2.15

$1.10 ฿37.22

118.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.15

$0.71 ฿23.84

80.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.71

$0.49 ฿16.38

61.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.83 €12.42

$4.14 ฿140

234.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.84 €6.14

$17.52 ฿592

-60.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.30

$1.61 ฿54.5

-10.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.34

$2.78 ฿94.0

-6.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.99 €3.59

$0.87 ฿29.33

358.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.9 €71.8

$54.1 ฿1,827

47.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 €3.07

$1.16 ฿39.08

193.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.24 €2.91

$0.53 ฿17.82

511.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.28 €25.41

$2.42 ฿81.8

1068.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.10

$1.45 ฿48.93

61.38%

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

$40.5K €36.4K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

92.49%

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

$39.9K €35.9K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

48.25%

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

$263 €236

$62.2 ฿2,100

322.73%

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

$16.91 €15.19

$12.17 ฿411

38.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.15 €36.97

$20.12 ฿680

104.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.48 €37.27

$37.31 ฿1,260

11.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.30 €18.24

$3.77 ฿127

438.46%

Cinema Ticket

$14.14 €12.70

$6.49 ฿219

117.87%

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

$1,273 €1,144

$736 ฿24.9K

72.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,603 €5,933

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-55.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.1 €71.1

$53.4 ฿1,802

48.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.39 €33.59

$24.64 ฿832

51.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €100.0

$91.5 ฿3,089

21.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$71.9 ฿2,429

77.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,444 €1,297

$482 ฿16.3K

199.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 €1,040

$309 ฿10.4K

274.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,337 €2,099

$1,006 ฿34.0K

132.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,877 €1,687

$633 ฿21.4K

196.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,513 €4,954

$2,363 ฿79.8K

133.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,918 €3,520

$1,589 ฿53.7K

146.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,395 €3,949

$590 ฿19.9K

645.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.02

5.57

-27.83%

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

Last update for Geleen: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Geleen

$1.2K 46.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 73.3% $849

Groceries & Markets

Geleen

$329 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 28.7% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Geleen

$321 13%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 70.6% $226

Eating Out

Geleen

$317 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 75.5% $239

Clothing & Footwear

Geleen

$160 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 32.1% $51

Getting Around

Geleen

$116 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 46.9% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Geleen

$70 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 27.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,444 in Geleen 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 in Geleen are about 7.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $95 in Geleen versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $329 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Geleen

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:02 5:02 PM

23:02 11:02 PM

6 h ahead of Geleen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,970

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Geleen Chiang Mai 8,610 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Geleen
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

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

Geleen costs about 164% 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 $3,704 per month in Geleen 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,444 in Geleen.

Kindergarten costs $1,273 per month in Geleen 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 40% more in Geleen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,469 in Geleen and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Geleen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.