Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kalisz and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,136 in Kalisz, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Kalisz
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Kalisz Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kalisz

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,136

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,136 per month in Kalisz vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kalisz $1,136
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,596 per month in Kalisz vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kalisz $1,596
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,056 per month in Kalisz vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kalisz $2,056
Chiang Mai $1,914

Kalisz costs about 21% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kalisz and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kalisz 16% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.73 zł 33.92

$2.26 ฿75.4

286.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.31 zł 118

$19.18 ฿641

58.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.87 zł 34.47

$5.59 ฿187

58.68%

Cappuccino

$3.08 zł 11.96

$1.72 ฿57.6

79.07%

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

$2.00 zł 7.76

$0.64 ฿21.54

212.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 zł 6.33

$0.33 ฿11.18

393.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 zł 9.68

$2.36 ฿78.7

5.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 zł 10.07

$3.90 ฿130

-33.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 zł 3.59

$2.05 ฿68.6

-55.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 zł 4.71

$1.40 ฿46.70

-13.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 zł 6.29

$1.28 ฿42.89

26.56%

Eggs

$2.95 zł 11.44

$2.25 ฿75.3

31.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.96 zł 30.91

$16.94 ฿566

-53.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 zł 16.87

$2.74 ฿91.6

58.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.22 zł 35.82

$9.36 ฿313

-1.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 zł 4.15

$2.40 ฿80.3

-55.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 zł 6.22

$1.01 ฿33.92

58.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 zł 6.12

$1.61 ฿53.9

-2.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 zł 12.03

$1.52 ฿50.7

103.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 zł 3.06

$1.28 ฿42.90

-38.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 zł 3.92

$1.11 ฿37.22

-9.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 zł 5.05

$0.72 ฿24.09

80.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 zł 2.16

$0.52 ฿17.54

5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.68 zł 18.18

$4.33 ฿145

8.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.98 zł 27.14

$17.73 ฿593

-60.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 zł 3.39

$1.63 ฿54.4

-46.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 zł 5.40

$2.85 ฿95.3

-51.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 zł 4.04

$0.85 ฿28.31

22.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.99 zł 136

$53.9 ฿1,801

-35.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.00 zł 7.75

$1.17 ฿39.18

70.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 zł 4.08

$0.57 ฿19.00

84.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.51 zł 25.30

$2.37 ฿79.2

174.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 zł 6.11

$1.45 ฿48.32

8.28%

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

$30.5K zł 118.5K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

48.93%

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

$27.4K zł 106.5K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

3.38%

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

$186 zł 724

$62.3 ฿2,083

199.12%

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

$10.06 zł 39.08

$12.27 ฿410

-18.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.83 zł 65.4

$19.97 ฿668

-15.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.87 zł 124

$37.91 ฿1,267

-15.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.46 zł 25.11

$6.71 ฿224

-3.73%

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

$248 zł 964

$797 ฿26.6K

-68.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,003 zł 19.4K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-66.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.4 zł 324

$53.3 ฿1,780

56.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.41 zł 98.7

$25.05 ฿837

1.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.2 zł 308

$91.6 ฿3,062

-13.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 zł 344

$73.5 ฿2,455

20.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 zł 1,730

$464 ฿15.5K

-4.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 zł 1,376

$305 ฿10.2K

16.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$538 zł 2,092

$915 ฿30.6K

-41.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$457 zł 1,774

$552 ฿18.5K

-17.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,968 zł 7,648

$1,912 ฿63.9K

2.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,462 zł 5,679

$1,438 ฿48.1K

1.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,190 zł 4,622

$595 ฿19.9K

99.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.21

5.57

11.49%

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

Last update for Kalisz: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kalisz

$354 31.2%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 14% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kalisz

$213 18.8%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 55.7% $119

Groceries & Markets

Kalisz

$187 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 27.3% $51

Eating Out

Kalisz

$166 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 52.3% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Kalisz

$124 11%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 12% $15

Getting Around

Kalisz

$46 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 32.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Kalisz

$45 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 14.6% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $445 in Kalisz versus $464 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 100% higher in Kalisz, 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 $30.00 in Kalisz versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $187 in Kalisz vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Kalisz wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Kalisz

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:34 2:34 PM

19:34 7:34 PM

5 h ahead of Kalisz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

103,997

127,240

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kalisz Chiang Mai 7,760 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Kalisz
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

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

Kalisz costs about 21% 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 $1,704 per month in Kalisz and $1,408 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 $248 per month in Kalisz and $797 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 27% cheaper in Kalisz – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Kalisz at $1,136. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kalisz it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,136 in Kalisz. 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, Kalisz makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.