Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuressaare and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,492 in Kuressaare, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

71

Cost of Living Index in Kuressaare
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Kuressaare Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kuressaare

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,492

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,492 per month in Kuressaare vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kuressaare $1,492
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,208 per month in Kuressaare vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kuressaare $2,208
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,925 per month in Kuressaare vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kuressaare $2,925
Chiang Mai $1,999

Kuressaare costs about 59% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kuressaare sits 10% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.51 €12.05

$2.13 ฿72.0

534.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.4 €59.2

$18.62 ฿628

256.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.72 €7.78

$5.60 ฿189

55.71%

Cappuccino

$4.00 €3.57

$1.66 ฿56.1

140.96%

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

$3.46 €3.09

$0.65 ฿21.82

432.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 €2.50

$0.30 ฿10.29

833.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.40 €5.71

$2.32 ฿78.3

175.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.61 €5.00

$3.67 ฿124

52.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.11

$2.02 ฿68.0

-38.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.41 ฿47.49

34.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.39 ฿46.94

65.47%

Eggs

$2.98 €2.65

$2.37 ฿79.9

25.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.49 €11.14

$16.52 ฿557

-24.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.59 €7.66

$2.67 ฿90.1

221.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.04 €13.42

$9.02 ฿304

66.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$2.40 ฿80.9

-26.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 €1.29

$1.04 ฿35.12

38.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 €2.25

$1.66 ฿56.0

51.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.97 €2.65

$1.56 ฿52.6

90.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.24 ฿41.75

-16.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 €0.80

$1.09 ฿36.65

-18.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.76 ฿25.70

146.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$0.51 ฿17.34

135.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.62 €5.91

$4.12 ฿139

60.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.14 €9.05

$17.93 ฿605

-43.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.62 ฿54.8

15.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.82 ฿95.2

-23.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 €2.04

$0.93 ฿31.52

145.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.06 €25.03

$52.9 ฿1,784

-46.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 €3.26

$1.18 ฿39.69

210.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.89

$0.17 ฿5.78

482.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.01 €24.10

$1.81 ฿61.1

1392.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.47 ฿49.67

36.05%

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

$27.5K €24.5K

$21.0K ฿708.7K

30.64%

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

$29.3K €26.1K

$26.5K ฿894.4K

10.52%

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

$310 €276

$62.6 ฿2,110

395.40%

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

$11.33 €10.10

$11.60 ฿391

-2.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.43 €32.50

$20.30 ฿685

79.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.12 €29.55

$37.88 ฿1,278

-12.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$11.54 €10.29

$6.51 ฿220

77.27%

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

$475 €424

$727 ฿24.5K

-34.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K €10.7K

$16.6K ฿559.0K

-27.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.0

$53.5 ฿1,806

103.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.38 €43.15

$24.80 ฿836

95.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €93.1

$90.4 ฿3,049

15.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$72.0 ฿2,428

66.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 €455

$481 ฿16.2K

6.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$329 €293

$310 ฿10.5K

6.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$657 €586

$1,058 ฿35.7K

-37.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 €441

$659 ฿22.2K

-24.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,044 €3,607

$2,418 ฿81.5K

67.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,476 €2,208

$1,609 ฿54.3K

53.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 €1,141

$595 ฿20.1K

115.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.93

5.57

-29.44%

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

Last update for Kuressaare: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuressaare

$358 24%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 73.6% $263

Accommodation & Living

Kuressaare

$329 22.1%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 5.8% $19

Groceries & Markets

Kuressaare

$281 18.8%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 15.8% $45

Eating Out

Kuressaare

$251 16.8%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 69.4% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Kuressaare

$171 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 36.8% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Kuressaare

$56 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 9.4% $5.3

Getting Around

Kuressaare

$46 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 28% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $511 in Kuressaare versus $481 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 Kuressaare are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Kuressaare versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $281 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇪 Kuressaare

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:04 6:04 AM

11:04 11:04 AM

5 h ahead of Kuressaare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,170

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Kuressaare Chiang Mai 7,450 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuressaare
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

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

Kuressaare costs about 59% 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 $2,238 per month in Kuressaare and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $511 in Kuressaare and $481 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $475 per month in Kuressaare and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Kuressaare, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,492 in Kuressaare and $935 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,492 in Kuressaare. 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, Kuressaare makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.