Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Krefeld and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,899 in Krefeld, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Krefeld
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Krefeld Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Krefeld

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,899

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,899 per month in Krefeld vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Krefeld $1,899
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,932 per month in Krefeld vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Krefeld $2,932
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,964 per month in Krefeld vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Krefeld $3,964
Chiang Mai $1,914

Krefeld costs about 102% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Krefeld sits 41% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.81 €14.95

$2.26 ฿75.4

643.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.6 €63.7

$19.18 ฿641

273.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.93 €11.50

$5.59 ฿187

131.31%

Cappuccino

$4.03 €3.58

$1.72 ฿57.6

134.30%

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

$3.69 €3.28

$0.64 ฿21.54

476.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 €2.85

$0.33 ฿11.18

869.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.10

$2.36 ฿78.7

143.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.85

$3.90 ฿130

40.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$2.05 ฿68.6

-38.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.40 ฿46.70

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.62 €3.22

$1.28 ฿42.89

182.81%

Eggs

$3.74 €3.33

$2.25 ฿75.3

66.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 €11.70

$16.94 ฿566

-22.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.34 €10.98

$2.74 ฿91.6

350.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.32 €20.75

$9.36 ฿313

149.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$2.40 ฿80.3

25.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.01 ฿33.92

97.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$1.61 ฿53.9

48.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 €3.71

$1.52 ฿50.7

174.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.28 ฿42.90

9.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.11 ฿37.22

7.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.61 €1.43

$0.72 ฿24.09

123.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 €0.92

$0.52 ฿17.54

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.98 €8.88

$4.33 ฿145

130.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.58 €5.86

$17.73 ฿593

-62.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.63 ฿54.4

-33.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.38

$2.85 ฿95.3

-45.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.42 €3.04

$0.85 ฿28.31

302.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.6 €53.9

$53.9 ฿1,801

12.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.06 €4.50

$1.17 ฿39.18

332.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 €1.95

$0.57 ฿19.00

285.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.02 €30.26

$2.37 ฿79.2

1335.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.45 ฿48.32

55.86%

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

$32.4K €28.8K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

58.25%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

44.33%

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

$300 €267

$62.3 ฿2,083

381.49%

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

$25.28 €22.49

$12.27 ฿410

106.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.06 €36.52

$19.97 ฿668

105.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.80 €35.41

$37.91 ฿1,267

4.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.10 €20.55

$3.76 ฿126

514.36%

Cinema Ticket

$13.54 €12.05

$6.71 ฿224

101.79%

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

$465 €414

$797 ฿26.6K

-41.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K €19.4K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

46.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.8 €79.0

$53.3 ฿1,780

66.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.10 €36.56

$25.05 ฿837

64.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.3

$91.6 ฿3,062

14.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$73.5 ฿2,455

76.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 €637

$464 ฿15.5K

54.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 €519

$305 ฿10.2K

91.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,425 €1,267

$915 ฿30.6K

55.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,128 €1,004

$552 ฿18.5K

104.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,248 €2,889

$1,912 ฿63.9K

69.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,481 €3,985

$1,438 ฿48.1K

211.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,002 €1,781

$595 ฿19.9K

236.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

5.57

-28.90%

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

Last update for Krefeld: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Krefeld

$583 30.7%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 47.8% $279

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Krefeld

$366 19.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 74.2% $272

Groceries & Markets

Krefeld

$339 17.8%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 29.8% $101

Eating Out

Krefeld

$289 15.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 72.6% $210

Clothing & Footwear

Krefeld

$164 8.6%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 33.3% $55

Getting Around

Krefeld

$90 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 32.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Krefeld

$67 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 23.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $716 in Krefeld 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 236% higher in Krefeld, 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 $72.0 in Krefeld versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $339 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Krefeld

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:22 5:22 PM

22:22 10:22 PM

5 h ahead of Krefeld

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

222,058

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Krefeld Chiang Mai 8,550 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Krefeld
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

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

Krefeld costs about 102% 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 $2,848 per month in Krefeld 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 $465 per month in Krefeld and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Krefeld, 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 $938, than in Krefeld at $1,899. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Krefeld it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,899 in Krefeld. 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, Krefeld makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.