Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Imatra and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,729 in Imatra, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Imatra
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Imatra Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Imatra

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,729

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,729 per month in Imatra vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Imatra $1,729
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,634 per month in Imatra vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Imatra $2,634
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,539 per month in Imatra vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Imatra $3,539
Chiang Mai $1,979

Imatra costs about 85% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Imatra sits 27% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.16 €10.02

$2.24 ฿75.7

398.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.0 €49.37

$19.00 ฿642

189.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 €7.89

$5.55 ฿188

58.20%

Cappuccino

$4.34 €3.90

$1.67 ฿56.6

159.88%

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

$2.97 €2.67

$0.64 ฿21.56

364.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.73

$0.31 ฿10.32

522.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.80 €7.00

$2.36 ฿79.6

230.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.06 €8.14

$3.66 ฿124

147.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.95 ฿65.8

-32.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.72 €2.44

$1.44 ฿48.51

88.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 €2.15

$1.33 ฿45.07

80.45%

Eggs

$3.14 €2.82

$2.28 ฿77.1

37.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.81 €7.91

$16.45 ฿556

-46.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.38 €12.92

$2.78 ฿94.0

417.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.44 €19.26

$9.31 ฿314

130.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 €2.13

$2.35 ฿79.5

0.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.91

$0.97 ฿32.82

118.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 €2.21

$1.60 ฿53.9

53.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.91 €3.51

$1.50 ฿50.7

160.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 €1.12

$1.28 ฿43.15

-3.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 €1.71

$1.10 ฿37.22

72.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 €2.58

$0.71 ฿23.84

304.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$0.49 ฿16.38

316.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.85 €11.54

$4.14 ฿140

210.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 €14.50

$17.52 ฿592

-7.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.14 €2.82

$1.61 ฿54.5

95.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.97

$2.78 ฿94.0

18.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.26 €2.93

$0.87 ฿29.33

274.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.9 €57.4

$54.1 ฿1,827

18.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 €3.93

$1.16 ฿39.08

277.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 €1.23

$0.53 ฿17.82

158.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.6 €58.9

$2.42 ฿81.8

2610.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.14

$1.45 ฿48.93

64.14%

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

$37.0K €33.2K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

75.68%

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

$37.3K €33.5K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

38.44%

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

$130 €117

$62.2 ฿2,100

108.77%

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

$24.63 €22.13

$12.17 ฿411

102.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.62 €21.22

$20.12 ฿680

17.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.78 €41.12

$37.31 ฿1,260

22.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.02 €17.98

$3.77 ฿127

431.03%

Cinema Ticket

$17.68 €15.89

$6.49 ฿219

172.42%

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

$333 €299

$736 ฿24.9K

-54.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K €10.1K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-23.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.8 €86.9

$53.4 ฿1,802

81.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.47 €44.44

$24.64 ฿832

100.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.9

$91.5 ฿3,089

11.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 €138

$71.9 ฿2,429

113.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$866 €778

$482 ฿16.3K

79.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$579 €520

$309 ฿10.4K

87.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,174 €1,055

$1,006 ฿34.0K

16.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$960 €863

$633 ฿21.4K

51.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,532 €4,071

$2,363 ฿79.8K

91.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,073 €1,862

$1,589 ฿53.7K

30.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.51

5.57

-36.98%

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

Last update for Imatra: 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

Imatra

$579 33.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 46.7% $270

Groceries & Markets

Imatra

$377 21.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 37.8% $143

Eating Out

Imatra

$244 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 68.3% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Imatra

$181 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 40% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Imatra

$178 10.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 46.9% $84

Getting Around

Imatra

$88 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 30.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Imatra

$81 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 38% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $866 in Imatra 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 $55 in Imatra versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $377 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇮 Imatra

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:57 4:57 PM

21:57 9:57 PM

5 h ahead of Imatra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,919

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

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Imatra Chiang Mai 7,130 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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Imatra
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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

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

Imatra costs about 85% 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 $2,594 per month in Imatra 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 $866 in Imatra.

Kindergarten costs $333 per month in Imatra 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 61% more in Imatra, 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 $1,729 in Imatra 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 $1,729 in Imatra. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 85% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.