Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Krems and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,172 in Krems, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Krems
Learn more

Krems Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Krems

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,172

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,172 per month in Krems vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Krems $2,172
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,204 per month in Krems vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Krems $3,204
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,237 per month in Krems vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Krems $4,237
Chiang Mai $1,979

Krems costs about 132% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Krems sits 60% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.62 €14.90

$2.24 ฿75.5

641.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.8 €68.9

$19.00 ฿640

304.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.40 €11.11

$5.55 ฿187

123.42%

Cappuccino

$4.47 €4.01

$1.67 ฿56.4

167.66%

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

$3.89 €3.49

$0.64 ฿21.51

507.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 €2.56

$0.31 ฿10.29

822.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.98 €5.36

$2.36 ฿79.5

153.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.48 €4.91

$3.66 ฿123

49.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.95 ฿65.7

-24.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.44 ฿48.41

56.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 €1.52

$1.33 ฿44.97

27.07%

Eggs

$3.71 €3.32

$2.28 ฿77.0

62.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.42 €17.40

$16.45 ฿554

18.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.75 €7.84

$2.78 ฿93.8

214.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.13 €18.93

$9.31 ฿314

126.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.48

$2.35 ฿79.3

17.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 €2.11

$0.97 ฿32.75

142.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 €2.52

$1.60 ฿53.8

75.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.33 €4.78

$1.50 ฿50.6

255.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.28 ฿43.06

32.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.37 €2.13

$1.10 ฿37.14

115.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.90 €1.70

$0.71 ฿23.79

167.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$0.49 ฿16.34

53.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.00 €6.27

$4.14 ฿140

69.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.71 €6.01

$17.52 ฿590

-61.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 €0.61

$1.61 ฿54.4

-57.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.59

$2.78 ฿93.8

-36.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.42 €2.17

$0.87 ฿29.27

178.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.1 €45.81

$54.1 ฿1,823

-5.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.03 €6.30

$1.16 ฿39.00

506.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 €1.03

$0.53 ฿17.78

116.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.38 €24.54

$2.42 ฿81.6

1031.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 €1.69

$1.45 ฿48.82

29.66%

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

$30.2K €27.0K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

43.19%

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

$33.6K €30.1K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

24.54%

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

$291 €261

$62.2 ฿2,095

368.47%

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

$9.83 €8.80

$12.17 ฿410

-19.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.58 €35.47

$20.12 ฿678

96.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.17 €36.00

$37.31 ฿1,257

7.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.77 €17.71

$3.77 ฿127

424.40%

Cinema Ticket

$13.21 €11.83

$6.49 ฿219

103.54%

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

$447 €401

$736 ฿24.8K

-39.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K €12.3K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-7.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.0

$53.4 ฿1,799

90.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 €36.24

$24.64 ฿830

64.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 €115

$91.5 ฿3,083

39.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €112

$71.9 ฿2,424

73.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$990 €887

$482 ฿16.3K

105.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$885 €793

$309 ฿10.4K

186.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,579 €1,415

$1,006 ฿33.9K

57.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,416 €1,269

$633 ฿21.3K

123.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,767 €6,064

$2,363 ฿79.6K

186.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,559 €4,982

$1,589 ฿53.6K

249.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,661 €2,384

$590 ฿19.9K

351.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.66

5.57

-34.29%

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

Last update for Krems: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Krems

$885 40.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 65.1% $576

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Krems

$341 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 72.3% $246

Groceries & Markets

Krems

$337 15.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 30.4% $103

Eating Out

Krems

$292 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 73.4% $214

Clothing & Footwear

Krems

$178 8.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 38.9% $69

Getting Around

Krems

$74 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 16.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Krems

$67 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 24.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $990 in Krems 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 Krems are about 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77 in Krems versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $337 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Krems

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:09 4:09 AM

10:09 10:09 AM

6 h ahead of Krems

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,500

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Krems Chiang Mai 7,980 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Krems
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

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

Krems costs about 132% 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 $3,258 per month in Krems 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 $990 in Krems.

Kindergarten costs $447 per month in Krems 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 44% more in Krems, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,172 in Krems 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 $2,172 in Krems. 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, Krems makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.