Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gharb and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,217 in Gharb, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Gharb
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Gharb Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Gharb

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,217

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,217 per month in Gharb vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gharb $2,217
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,242 per month in Gharb vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gharb $3,242
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,267 per month in Gharb vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gharb $4,267
Chiang Mai $1,979

Gharb costs about 137% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Gharb sits 63% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.16 €19.86

$2.24 ฿75.6

889.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 €80.2

$19.00 ฿641

371.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.17 €11.80

$5.55 ฿187

137.30%

Cappuccino

$3.26 €2.92

$1.67 ฿56.5

95.21%

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

$2.34 €2.10

$0.64 ฿21.55

265.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 €1.72

$0.31 ฿10.31

519.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.55 €4.97

$2.36 ฿79.6

135.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 €5.90

$3.66 ฿124

80.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.95 ฿65.8

-32.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.44 ฿48.48

-2.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 €3.15

$1.33 ฿45.04

163.91%

Eggs

$4.38 €3.92

$2.28 ฿77.1

92.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 €9.08

$16.45 ฿555

-38.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.11 €10.85

$2.78 ฿93.9

335.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.36 €16.46

$9.31 ฿314

97.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.68 €3.30

$2.35 ฿79.4

56.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 €2.44

$0.97 ฿32.80

181.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.79 €3.40

$1.60 ฿53.9

136.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 €3.42

$1.50 ฿50.6

154.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.28 ฿43.12

42.97%

Onion (1kg)

$3.33 €2.98

$1.10 ฿37.19

202.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 €2.05

$0.71 ฿23.82

221.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.33

$0.49 ฿16.37

202.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.29 €5.64

$4.14 ฿140

51.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 €5.42

$17.52 ฿591

-65.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 €2.17

$1.61 ฿54.5

50.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.14

$2.78 ฿94.0

-14.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 €1.98

$0.87 ฿29.31

154.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 €3.43

$1.16 ฿39.06

229.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 €1.62

$0.53 ฿17.80

241.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.93 €29.51

$2.42 ฿81.8

1260.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.45 ฿48.90

4.83%

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

$27.6K €24.7K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

30.94%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

43.70%

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

$154 €138

$62.2 ฿2,098

147.39%

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

$30.85 €27.65

$12.17 ฿411

153.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.18 €26.14

$20.12 ฿679

45.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.5 €62.3

$37.31 ฿1,259

86.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$11.14 €9.98

$6.49 ฿219

71.65%

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

$283 €253

$736 ฿24.8K

-61.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K €11.1K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-16.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 €50.6

$53.4 ฿1,801

5.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.1 €61.9

$24.64 ฿831

180.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €100

$91.5 ฿3,087

22.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$71.9 ฿2,428

78.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$975 €874

$482 ฿16.3K

102.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 €959

$309 ฿10.4K

246.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,644 €1,473

$1,006 ฿33.9K

63.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,532 €1,373

$633 ฿21.4K

141.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,033 €3,614

$2,363 ฿79.8K

70.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,039 €2,723

$1,589 ฿53.6K

91.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

5.57

-27.29%

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

Last update for Gharb: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gharb

$1.1K 48.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 71.1% $761

Groceries & Markets

Gharb

$342 15.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 31.5% $108

Eating Out

Gharb

$314 14.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 75.3% $236

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gharb

$214 9.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 55.8% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Gharb

$165 7.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 34% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Gharb

$92 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 45.2% $41

Getting Around

Gharb

$22 * 1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 183% $40

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $975 in Gharb 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Gharb versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $342 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Gharb

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:16 7:16 PM

01:16 1:16 AM

6 h ahead of Gharb

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,500

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Gharb Chiang Mai 8,340 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Gharb
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

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

Gharb costs about 137% 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 $3,326 per month in Gharb 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 $975 in Gharb.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Gharb and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Gharb, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,217 in Gharb 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 $2,217 in Gharb. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.