Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Krakow and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,806 in Krakow, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Krakow
Learn more

Krakow Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,806

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,806 per month in Krakow vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Krakow $1,806
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,604 per month in Krakow vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Krakow $2,604
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,403 per month in Krakow vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Krakow $3,403
Chiang Mai $1,979

Krakow costs about 93% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Krakow sits 33% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.05 zł 47.69

$2.24 ฿75.7

437.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.8 zł 201

$19.00 ฿642

167.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.37 zł 37.09

$5.55 ฿188

68.83%

Cappuccino

$4.08 zł 16.15

$1.67 ฿56.6

144.31%

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

$2.45 zł 9.69

$0.64 ฿21.56

282.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 zł 9.22

$0.31 ฿10.32

651.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.45 zł 17.63

$2.36 ฿79.6

88.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.63 zł 18.31

$3.66 ฿124

26.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 zł 4.39

$1.95 ฿65.8

-43.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 zł 5.73

$1.44 ฿48.51

0.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 zł 6.90

$1.33 ฿45.07

30.83%

Eggs

$3.82 zł 15.12

$2.28 ฿77.1

67.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.24 zł 36.58

$16.45 ฿556

-43.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.79 zł 30.83

$2.78 ฿94.0

180.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.17 zł 52.1

$9.31 ฿314

41.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 zł 5.05

$2.35 ฿79.5

-45.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 zł 6.90

$0.97 ฿32.82

79.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 zł 7.01

$1.60 ฿53.9

10.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 zł 12.26

$1.50 ฿50.7

106.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 zł 3.48

$1.28 ฿43.15

-31.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 zł 3.84

$1.10 ฿37.22

-11.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 zł 4.95

$0.71 ฿23.84

76.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 zł 3.08

$0.49 ฿16.38

59.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.28 zł 24.84

$4.14 ฿140

51.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.47 zł 25.61

$17.52 ฿592

-63.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 zł 4.66

$1.61 ฿54.5

-26.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 zł 6.53

$2.78 ฿94.0

-40.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 zł 5.87

$0.87 ฿29.33

70.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.13 zł 135

$54.1 ฿1,827

-36.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 zł 8.92

$1.16 ฿39.08

93.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 zł 4.13

$0.53 ฿17.82

96.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.35 zł 48.87

$2.42 ฿81.8

410.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 zł 6.58

$1.45 ฿48.93

14.48%

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

$29.8K zł 117.8K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

41.31%

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

$29.2K zł 115.5K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

8.29%

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

$332 zł 1,314

$62.2 ฿2,100

434.15%

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

$8.48 zł 33.54

$12.17 ฿411

-30.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.59 zł 69.6

$20.12 ฿680

-12.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.76 zł 177

$37.31 ฿1,260

19.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.52 zł 97.1

$3.77 ฿127

550.40%

Cinema Ticket

$8.67 zł 34.31

$6.49 ฿219

33.59%

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

$449 zł 1,779

$736 ฿24.9K

-38.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,675 zł 38.3K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-34.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.0 zł 376

$53.4 ฿1,802

78.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.05 zł 158

$24.64 ฿832

62.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.4 zł 354

$91.5 ฿3,089

-2.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 zł 478

$71.9 ฿2,429

67.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$909 zł 3,595

$482 ฿16.3K

88.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 zł 2,864

$309 ฿10.4K

134.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,490 zł 5,897

$1,006 ฿34.0K

48.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 zł 4,721

$633 ฿21.4K

88.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,323 zł 21.1K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

125.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,604 zł 14.3K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

126.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,867 zł 7,388

$590 ฿19.9K

216.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

5.57

18.85%

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

Last update for Krakow: 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

Krakow

$724 40.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 57.3% $415

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Krakow

$358 19.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 73.6% $264

Groceries & Markets

Krakow

$235 13%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 0.1% $0.1

Eating Out

Krakow

$224 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 65.4% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Krakow

$155 8.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 30.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Krakow

$62 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 19% $12

Getting Around

Krakow

$48 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 29.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $909 in Krakow 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 Krakow are about 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51 in Krakow versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Krakow

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:02 5:02 PM

23:02 11:02 PM

6 h ahead of Krakow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

806,201

127,240

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.253 USD

1 PLN = 0.227 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.96 PLN (1 PLN = 0.253 USD). 1 EUR = 4.4 PLN (1 PLN = 0.227 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Krakow Chiang Mai 7,640 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Krakow
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

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

Krakow costs about 93% 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 $2,708 per month in Krakow 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 $909 in Krakow.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51 in Krakow and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 37% less in Krakow. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,806 in Krakow and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,806 in Krakow. 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, Krakow makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.