Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Heraklion and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,609 in Heraklion, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Heraklion
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Heraklion Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Heraklion

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,609

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,609 per month in Heraklion vs $906 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Heraklion $1,609
Chiang Mai $906

A couple spends around $2,492 per month in Heraklion vs $1,385 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Heraklion $2,492
Chiang Mai $1,385

A family of three spends $3,374 per month in Heraklion vs $1,864 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Heraklion $3,374
Chiang Mai $1,864

Heraklion costs about 78% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Heraklion sits 20% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.02 €11.62

$2.13 ฿71.4

511.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.5 €50.4

$19.40 ฿649

190.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.03 €8.96

$5.47 ฿183

83.36%

Cappuccino

$3.80 €3.39

$1.68 ฿56.4

126.19%

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

$2.43 €2.17

$0.66 ฿22.10

268.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.34 ฿11.52

123.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.02

$2.42 ฿81.0

132.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.48 €4.89

$3.73 ฿125

46.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$2.06 ฿68.9

-13.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.46 ฿48.78

0.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.35 ฿45.09

102.22%

Eggs

$4.38 €3.91

$2.27 ฿76.0

92.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.75 €14.06

$16.31 ฿546

-3.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 €9.30

$2.70 ฿90.3

285.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.23 €13.59

$9.20 ฿308

65.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$2.39 ฿80.1

-6.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$1.04 ฿34.66

100.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 €1.20

$1.60 ฿53.7

-16.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.44 ฿48.37

22.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.30 ฿43.59

-9.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.11 ฿37.29

9.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.70 ฿23.55

34.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.51 ฿16.99

39.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.12 €4.57

$4.13 ฿138

23.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.80 €6.96

$17.78 ฿595

-56.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.63 ฿54.7

39.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 €2.57

$2.87 ฿96.0

0.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.86 ฿28.76

70.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.0 €59.8

$53.2 ฿1,780

26.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 €4.02

$1.22 ฿40.81

269.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €1.01

$0.56 ฿18.81

101.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.08 €9.89

$2.31 ฿77.5

379.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.50 ฿50.2

49.33%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$20.9K ฿698.3K

34.07%

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

$24.0K €21.5K

$26.7K ฿895.0K

-10.07%

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

$195 €174

$61.3 ฿2,051

218.43%

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

$30.21 €26.96

$12.50 ฿419

141.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.66 €33.61

$20.36 ฿682

84.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.93 €44.56

$37.94 ฿1,270

31.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.72 €35.44

$3.77 ฿126

953.58%

Cinema Ticket

$9.05 €8.07

$6.60 ฿221

37.12%

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

$410 €366

$774 ฿25.9K

-47.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,089 €3,649

$14.4K ฿483.2K

-71.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.0 €79.4

$54.8 ฿1,835

62.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.78 €38.18

$25.26 ฿846

69.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 €73.7

$90.6 ฿3,032

-8.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €122

$73.3 ฿2,453

86.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$459 ฿15.4K

42.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 €450

$294 ฿9,835

71.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,105 €986

$919 ฿30.8K

20.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,005 €897

$552 ฿18.5K

82.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,070 €3,632

$1,917 ฿64.2K

112.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,799 €2,498

$1,445 ฿48.4K

93.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,111 €992

$592 ฿19.8K

87.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

5.57

-20.29%

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

Last update for Heraklion: October 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Heraklion

$505 31.5%

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8% 41.8% $211

Groceries & Markets

Heraklion

$295 18.4%

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6% 20% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Heraklion

$263 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 64.2% $169

Eating Out

Heraklion

$232 14.5%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4% 66.7% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Heraklion

$158 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9% 30.4% $48

Getting Around

Heraklion

$83 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 27% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Heraklion

$68 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 24.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $652 in Heraklion versus $459 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 88% higher in Heraklion, 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 $56.0 in Heraklion versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $236 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Heraklion

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

13:45 1:45 PM

4 h ahead of Heraklion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,730

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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Between locations

Heraklion Chiang Mai 7,380 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Heraklion
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

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

Heraklion costs about 78% 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 $2,414 per month in Heraklion and $1,359 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 $410 per month in Heraklion and $774 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Heraklion, 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 $906, than in Heraklion at $1,609. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Heraklion it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $906 versus $1,609 in Heraklion. 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, Heraklion makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.