Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Korce and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,019 in Korce, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Korce despite lower rent and utilities.

Korce, Albania
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Korce
🇦🇱 Albania
$1,019
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,019 per month in Korce vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Korce $1,019
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,507 per month in Korce vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Korce $1,507
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,995 per month in Korce vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Korce $1,995
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Korce costs about 9% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Korce and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Korce 25% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Korce
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.20 ALL 503
$2.24 ฿75.6
176.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.70 ALL 3,143
$19.00 ฿641
103.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.33 ALL 514
$5.55 ฿187
14.05%
Cappuccino
$1.92 ALL 156
$1.67 ฿56.5
14.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 ALL 144
$0.64 ฿21.55
178.13%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.69 ALL 56.3
$0.31 ฿10.31
122.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.43 ALL 198
$2.36 ฿79.6
2.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 ALL 205
$3.66 ฿124
-30.87%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Korce
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.88 ALL 153
$1.95 ฿65.8
-3.59%
White Bread (500g)
$0.99 ALL 80.6
$1.44 ฿48.48
-31.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.11 ALL 171
$1.33 ฿45.04
58.65%
Eggs
$2.72 ALL 221
$2.28 ฿77.1
19.30%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.16 ALL 825
$16.45 ฿555
-38.24%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.75 ALL 711
$2.78 ฿93.9
214.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.41 ALL 1,171
$9.31 ฿314
54.78%
Apples (1kg)
$1.22 ALL 99.2
$2.35 ฿79.4
-48.09%
Banana (1kg)
$2.22 ALL 181
$0.97 ฿32.80
128.87%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.28 ALL 104
$1.60 ฿53.9
-20.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.58 ALL 128
$1.50 ฿50.6
5.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.05 ALL 85.1
$1.28 ฿43.12
-17.97%
Onion (1kg)
$1.04 ALL 84.8
$1.10 ฿37.19
-5.45%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.05 ALL 85.3
$0.71 ฿23.82
47.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 ALL 66.9
$0.49 ฿16.37
67.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.42 ALL 359
$4.14 ฿140
6.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.95 ALL 646
$17.52 ฿591
-54.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.75 ALL 142
$1.61 ฿54.5
8.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 ALL 154
$2.78 ฿94.0
-32.01%
🚌 Getting Around
Korce
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.61 ALL 49.52
$0.87 ฿29.31
-29.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.38 ALL 1,493
$54.1 ฿1,826
-66.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.75 ALL 305
$1.16 ฿39.06
223.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.74 ALL 304
$0.53 ฿17.80
605.66%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.45 ALL 1,499
$2.42 ฿81.8
662.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.29 ALL 186
$1.45 ฿48.90
57.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.3K ALL 2.8M
$21.1K ฿710.7K
62.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.3K ALL 2.0M
$26.9K ฿909.3K
-9.96%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Korce
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.8 ALL 5,103
$62.2 ฿2,098
1.06%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.34 ALL 1,490
$12.17 ฿411
50.70%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.73 ALL 1,277
$20.12 ฿679
-21.82%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Korce
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$33.85 ALL 2,749
$37.31 ฿1,259
-9.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.70 ALL 1,519
$3.77 ฿127
396.02%
Cinema Ticket
$10.05 ALL 816
$6.49 ฿219
54.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Korce
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$220 ALL 17.8K
$736 ฿24.8K
-70.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$14.8K ฿498.3K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Korce
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.51 ALL 3,534
$53.4 ฿1,801
-18.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.4 ALL 4,339
$24.64 ฿831
116.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$109 ALL 8,813
$91.5 ฿3,087
18.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$151 ALL 12.3K
$71.9 ฿2,428
110.22%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Korce
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$477 ALL 38.7K
$482 ฿16.3K
-1.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$300 ALL 24.4K
$309 ฿10.4K
-2.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$502 ALL 40.8K
$1,006 ฿33.9K
-50.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$308 ALL 25.0K
$633 ฿21.4K
-51.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,422 ALL 115.5K
$2,363 ฿79.8K
-39.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,118 ALL 90.8K
$1,589 ฿53.6K
-29.65%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Korce
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$685 ALL 55.7K
$590 ฿19.9K
16.19%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
5.57
-10.23%

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

Last update for Korce: 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
Korce
$300
Chiang Mai
$309 3% $9
Groceries & Markets
Korce
$246
Chiang Mai
$234 4.7% $11
Clothing & Footwear
Korce
$161
Chiang Mai
$109 32.3% $52
Eating Out
Korce
$119
Chiang Mai
$78 34.7% $41
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Korce
$97
Chiang Mai
$94 2.5% $2.4
Sport & Entertainment
Korce
$54
Chiang Mai
$50 6.8% $3.7
Getting Around
Korce
$43
Chiang Mai
$61 41.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $477 in Korce 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 run about 16% higher in Korce. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Korce versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇦🇱 Korce
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
07:16 7:16 AM
13:16 1:16 PM
6 h ahead of Korce
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
51,152
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 81.22 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 90.69 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Korce Chiang Mai 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Korce
  • 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
Korce vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Korce or Chiang Mai?
Korce costs about 9% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Korce and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,529 per month in Korce and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Korce compared to Chiang Mai?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $477 in Korce and $482 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
How do childcare costs compare in Korce and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $220 per month in Korce and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Korce or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 5% more in Korce, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Korce or in Chiang Mai?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,019 in Korce and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Korce or Chiang Mai?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,019 in Korce. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Should I move to Korce or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Korce makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Korce vs other spots: cost of living compared

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