Cost of Living Comparison Between Lake Balaton and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Lake Balaton and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Lake Balaton is 13.2% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 29.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Lake Balaton is 25.3% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 23.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Lake Balaton
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.37 Ft 2,825
$2.03 ฿64.6
312.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.03 Ft 15.5K
$18.59 ฿593
147.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.54 Ft 2,884
$7.48 ฿238
14.17%
Cappuccino
$1.99 Ft 672
$2.00 ฿63.7
-0.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.43 Ft 483
$0.85 ฿27.01
68.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.98 Ft 330
$0.35 ฿11.21
180.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.89 Ft 639
$2.21 ฿70.5
-14.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.21 Ft 744
$3.76 ฿120
-41.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Lake Balaton
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.09 Ft 368
$1.72 ฿54.8
-36.63%
White Bread (500g)
$1.57 Ft 528
$1.63 ฿52.1
-3.68%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.84 Ft 621
$1.16 ฿36.93
58.62%
Eggs
$2.70 Ft 911
$1.98 ฿63.1
36.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.09 Ft 3,068
$15.93 ฿508
-42.94%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.04 Ft 2,040
$3.17 ฿101
90.54%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.00 Ft 4,051
$10.90 ฿348
10.09%
Apples (1kg)
$1.80 Ft 608
$2.65 ฿84.3
-32.08%
Banana (1kg)
$1.97 Ft 665
$1.22 ฿38.98
61.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.06 Ft 696
$1.70 ฿54.1
21.18%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.96 Ft 998
$1.59 ฿50.7
86.16%
Potato (1kg)
$1.11 Ft 375
$1.32 ฿42.21
-15.91%
Onion (1kg)
$1.18 Ft 397
$1.17 ฿37.25
0.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.47 Ft 496
$0.68 ฿21.61
116.18%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 Ft 188
$0.56 ฿17.76
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.60 Ft 2,226
$4.51 ฿144
46.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.93 Ft 2,000
$19.07 ฿608
-68.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 Ft 360
$1.77 ฿56.4
-39.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 Ft 478
$3.18 ฿101
-55.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Lake Balaton
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.13 Ft 382
$0.96 ฿30.70
17.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.20 Ft 8,505
$18.90 ฿602
33.33%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.93 Ft 989
$1.36 ฿43.29
115.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.11 Ft 374
$1.35 ฿43.11
-17.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.15 Ft 5,789
$8.03 ฿256
113.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.70 Ft 574
$1.24 ฿39.62
37.10%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.8K Ft 8.7M
$21.2K ฿674.7K
21.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.9K Ft 10.4M
$21.8K ฿693.5K
42.23%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Lake Balaton
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$141 Ft 47.6K
$71.2 ฿2,271
97.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.45 Ft 8,928
$14.09 ฿449
87.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.57 Ft 6,606
$17.47 ฿557
12.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Lake Balaton
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.91 Ft 15.5K
$42.07 ฿1,341
9.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.47 Ft 5,560
$6.88 ฿219
139.39%
Cinema Ticket
$7.45 Ft 2,515
$5.94 ฿189
25.42%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Lake Balaton
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$296 Ft 99.8K
$307 ฿9,799
-3.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,535 Ft 2.2M
$14.8K ฿471.6K
-55.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Lake Balaton
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$72.2 Ft 24.4K
$55.7 ฿1,775
29.73%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.80 Ft 9,046
$26.79 ฿854
0.04%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.5 Ft 24.1K
$83.2 ฿2,653
-14.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$80.2 Ft 27.1K
$70.1 ฿2,235
14.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Lake Balaton
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$452 Ft 152.4K
$427 ฿13.6K
5.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$342 Ft 115.5K
$237 ฿7,559
44.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$637 Ft 214.9K
$802 ฿25.6K
-20.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$535 Ft 180.5K
$503 ฿16.0K
6.22%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,982 Ft 1.0M
$2,061 ฿65.7K
44.72%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,284 Ft 770.8K
$1,533 ฿48.9K
49.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Lake Balaton
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$654 ฿20.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.4
5
48.00%

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

Last update for Lake Balaton: February 28, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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