Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kos and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,506 in Kos, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Kos
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Kos Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,506

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,506 per month in Kos vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kos $1,506
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,265 per month in Kos vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kos $2,265
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,024 per month in Kos vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kos $3,024
Chiang Mai $1,979

Kos costs about 61% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kos sits 11% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.93 €12.51

$2.24 ฿75.7

521.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.4 €59.7

$19.00 ฿642

249.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.25 €10.10

$5.55 ฿188

102.70%

Cappuccino

$4.01 €3.61

$1.67 ฿56.6

140.12%

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

$3.09 €2.77

$0.64 ฿21.56

382.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.99

$0.31 ฿10.32

258.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.34 €3.90

$2.36 ฿79.6

83.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 €5.87

$3.66 ฿124

78.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 €2.17

$1.95 ฿65.8

24.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 €1.46

$1.44 ฿48.51

12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 €2.34

$1.33 ฿45.07

96.24%

Eggs

$4.61 €4.14

$2.28 ฿77.1

102.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 €11.75

$16.45 ฿556

-20.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.17 €9.13

$2.78 ฿94.0

265.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.05 €13.52

$9.31 ฿314

61.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.35 ฿79.5

-6.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 €1.80

$0.97 ฿32.82

106.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.60 ฿53.9

-15.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.83

$1.50 ฿50.7

36.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.28 ฿43.15

-11.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.10 ฿37.22

3.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 €0.98

$0.71 ฿23.84

53.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.76

$0.49 ฿16.38

71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.39 €4.84

$4.14 ฿140

30.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.07

$17.52 ฿592

-61.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 €1.81

$1.61 ฿54.5

24.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 €2.30

$2.78 ฿94.0

-7.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 €1.64

$0.87 ฿29.33

110.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.85 €44.78

$54.1 ฿1,827

-7.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 €3.67

$1.16 ฿39.08

252.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €1.02

$0.53 ฿17.82

113.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.47 €14.80

$2.42 ฿81.8

580.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.88

$1.45 ฿48.93

44.14%

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

$28.0K €25.1K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

32.78%

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

$25.1K €22.6K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-6.79%

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

$201 €181

$62.2 ฿2,100

224.06%

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

$22.92 €20.59

$12.17 ฿411

88.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.73 €31.20

$20.12 ฿680

72.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.6 €45.49

$37.31 ฿1,260

35.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.52 €25.62

$3.77 ฿127

656.50%

Cinema Ticket

$8.80 €7.90

$6.49 ฿219

35.59%

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

$417 €375

$736 ฿24.9K

-43.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,025 €8,107

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-38.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.0 €79.9

$53.4 ฿1,802

66.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.15 €36.07

$24.64 ฿832

62.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 €83.1

$91.5 ฿3,089

1.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €110

$71.9 ฿2,429

70.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$610 €548

$482 ฿16.3K

26.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 €377

$309 ฿10.4K

36.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$715 €642

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-28.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$587 €527

$633 ฿21.4K

-7.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,594 €2,330

$2,363 ฿79.8K

9.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,012 €1,807

$1,589 ฿53.7K

26.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$902 €810

$590 ฿19.9K

52.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.57

-19.57%

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

Last update for Kos: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kos

$420 27.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 26.5% $111

Groceries & Markets

Kos

$292 19.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 19.7% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kos

$259 17.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 63.5% $165

Eating Out

Kos

$245 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 68.3% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Kos

$155 10.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 29.8% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Kos

$68 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 26.3% $18

Getting Around

Kos

$67 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 8.3% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $610 in Kos 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 53% higher in Kos, 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 $66 in Kos versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $292 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Kos

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:08 12:08 AM

05:08 5:08 AM

5 h ahead of Kos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,947

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

On the map

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Between locations

Kos Chiang Mai 7,190 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Kos
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

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

Kos costs about 61% 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 $2,259 per month in Kos 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 $610 in Kos.

Kindergarten costs $417 per month in Kos 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 25% more in Kos, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,506 in Kos 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 $1,506 in Kos. 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, Kos makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.