Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jelgava and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,078 in Jelgava, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Jelgava
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Jelgava Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Jelgava

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,078

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,078 per month in Jelgava vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jelgava $1,078
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,635 per month in Jelgava vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jelgava $1,635
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,191 per month in Jelgava vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Jelgava $2,191
Chiang Mai $1,979

Jelgava costs about 15% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Jelgava and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Jelgava 21% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.94 €7.12

$2.24 ฿75.6

254.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.24 €39.63

$19.00 ฿641

132.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.62 €5.93

$5.55 ฿187

19.28%

Cappuccino

$3.20 €2.87

$1.67 ฿56.5

91.62%

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

$1.58 €1.42

$0.64 ฿21.54

146.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.03

$0.31 ฿10.31

270.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.46 €3.99

$2.36 ฿79.5

88.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 €3.53

$3.66 ฿124

7.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.95 ฿65.7

-37.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 €0.76

$1.44 ฿48.46

-40.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.33 ฿45.03

10.53%

Eggs

$3.16 €2.83

$2.28 ฿77.1

38.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.61 €9.50

$16.45 ฿555

-35.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.45 €4.88

$2.78 ฿93.9

96.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.73 €7.82

$9.31 ฿314

-6.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.65 €1.48

$2.35 ฿79.4

-29.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$0.97 ฿32.79

82.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.57 €2.30

$1.60 ฿53.9

60.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.21 €2.88

$1.50 ฿50.6

114.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 €0.74

$1.28 ฿43.11

-35.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 €0.83

$1.10 ฿37.18

-16.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.67 €1.50

$0.71 ฿23.82

135.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 €0.82

$0.49 ฿16.36

87.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 €6.11

$4.14 ฿140

64.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.74 €6.93

$17.52 ฿591

-55.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.82

$1.61 ฿54.5

26.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.87

$2.78 ฿93.9

-25.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.87 ฿29.30

11.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.38 €25.42

$54.1 ฿1,825

-47.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 €3.08

$1.16 ฿39.04

196.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$0.53 ฿17.80

96.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.55 €15.72

$2.42 ฿81.7

625.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.45 ฿48.88

33.10%

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

$22.3K €19.9K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

5.69%

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

$29.1K €26.1K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

8.16%

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

$184 €165

$62.2 ฿2,098

195.74%

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

$18.60 €16.66

$12.17 ฿411

52.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.10 €13.53

$20.12 ฿679

-24.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.21 €40.49

$37.31 ฿1,259

21.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.77 €29.35

$3.77 ฿127

769.23%

Cinema Ticket

$10.61 €9.50

$6.49 ฿219

63.48%

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

$221 €198

$736 ฿24.8K

-70.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K €12.7K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-4.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 €44.89

$53.4 ฿1,801

-6.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.51 €19.27

$24.64 ฿831

-12.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.0 €50.2

$91.5 ฿3,087

-38.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$71.9 ฿2,427

57.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$327 €293

$482 ฿16.3K

-32.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$261 €233

$309 ฿10.4K

-15.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$594 €532

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-40.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 €371

$633 ฿21.4K

-34.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,018 €912

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-56.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$911 €816

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-42.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,625 €1,455

$590 ฿19.9K

175.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-28.19%

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

Last update for Jelgava: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jelgava

$261 24.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 18.6% $48

Groceries & Markets

Jelgava

$221 20.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 5.9% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jelgava

$218 20.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 56.6% $123

Eating Out

Jelgava

$163 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 52.4% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Jelgava

$108 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 0.2% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Jelgava

$66 6.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 24.3% $16

Getting Around

Jelgava

$41 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 50% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $327 in Jelgava 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 Jelgava are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Jelgava versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $221 in Jelgava vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Jelgava wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇻 Jelgava

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:58 6:58 PM

23:58 11:58 PM

5 h ahead of Jelgava

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,534

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

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

From you

Jelgava
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

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

Jelgava costs about 15% 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 $1,617 per month in Jelgava 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 Jelgava, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $327 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $221 per month in Jelgava and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Jelgava – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,078 in Jelgava 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 $1,078 in Jelgava. 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.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Jelgava makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.