Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kaunas and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,477 in Kaunas, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Kaunas
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Kaunas Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kaunas

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,477

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,477 per month in Kaunas vs $906 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kaunas $1,477
Chiang Mai $906

A couple spends around $2,241 per month in Kaunas vs $1,385 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kaunas $2,241
Chiang Mai $1,385

A family of three spends $3,005 per month in Kaunas vs $1,864 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kaunas $3,005
Chiang Mai $1,864

Kaunas costs about 63% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kaunas sits 10% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.80 €10.53

$2.13 ฿71.4

453.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.4 €61.1

$19.40 ฿649

252.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 €8.84

$5.47 ฿183

80.99%

Cappuccino

$3.46 €3.08

$1.68 ฿56.4

105.95%

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

$3.33 €2.97

$0.66 ฿22.10

404.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 €2.87

$0.34 ฿11.52

847.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 €4.52

$2.42 ฿81.0

109.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.89

$3.73 ฿125

16.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.40

$2.06 ฿68.9

-23.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.46 ฿48.78

22.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.35 ฿45.09

64.44%

Eggs

$3.36 €3.00

$2.27 ฿76.0

48.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.71 €13.13

$16.31 ฿546

-9.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.13 €7.25

$2.70 ฿90.3

201.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.60 €12.14

$9.20 ฿308

47.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$2.39 ฿80.1

-35.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.04 ฿34.66

44.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$1.60 ฿53.7

35.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.33 €2.97

$1.44 ฿48.37

131.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 €0.84

$1.30 ฿43.59

-27.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 €0.87

$1.11 ฿37.29

-11.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 €1.63

$0.70 ฿23.55

161.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.86

$0.51 ฿16.99

88.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.14 €5.48

$4.13 ฿138

48.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.10

$17.78 ฿595

-42.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.63 ฿54.7

6.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.89

$2.87 ฿96.0

-26.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 €0.98

$0.86 ฿28.76

26.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.96 €28.52

$53.2 ฿1,780

-39.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.22 ฿40.81

-6.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 €0.77

$0.56 ฿18.81

55.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.71 €14.02

$2.31 ฿77.5

580.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.50 ฿50.2

27.33%

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

$26.9K €24.0K

$20.9K ฿698.3K

28.99%

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

$28.8K €25.7K

$26.7K ฿895.0K

7.80%

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

$203 €181

$61.3 ฿2,051

230.88%

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

$16.06 €14.34

$12.50 ฿419

28.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.30 €13.65

$20.36 ฿682

-24.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.92 €29.38

$37.94 ฿1,270

-13.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.67 €25.59

$3.77 ฿126

660.48%

Cinema Ticket

$11.99 €10.70

$6.60 ฿221

81.67%

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

$682 €609

$774 ฿25.9K

-11.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,760 €7,818

$14.4K ฿483.2K

-39.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.7 €76.5

$54.8 ฿1,835

56.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.43 €36.08

$25.26 ฿846

60.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 €108

$90.6 ฿3,032

33.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 €146

$73.3 ฿2,453

123.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$627 €560

$459 ฿15.4K

36.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$438 €391

$294 ฿9,835

49.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$929 €829

$919 ฿30.8K

1.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$657 €586

$552 ฿18.5K

19.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,679 €3,283

$1,917 ฿64.2K

91.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,386 €2,130

$1,445 ฿48.4K

65.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,696 €1,513

$592 ฿19.8K

186.24%

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 Kaunas: October 6, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kaunas

$438 30%

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8% 32.9% $144

Groceries & Markets

Kaunas

$280 19.2%

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6% 15.8% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kaunas

$234 16%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 59.8% $140

Eating Out

Kaunas

$226 15.5%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4% 65.8% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Kaunas

$185 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9% 40.7% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Kaunas

$57 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 10.2% $5.8

Getting Around

Kaunas

$42 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 45% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $627 in Kaunas 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 186% higher in Kaunas, 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 $68.0 in Kaunas versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $280 vs $236 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇹 Kaunas

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:15 3:15 PM

19:15 7:15 PM

4 h ahead of Kaunas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

315,993

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Kaunas Chiang Mai 7,360 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Kaunas
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

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

Kaunas costs about 63% 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 $2,215 per month in Kaunas 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 $682 per month in Kaunas 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 19% more in Kaunas, 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 Kaunas at $1,477. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kaunas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $906 versus $1,477 in Kaunas. 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, Kaunas makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.