Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lamia and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,192 in Lamia, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Lamia
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Lamia Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Lamia

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,192

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,192 per month in Lamia vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lamia $1,192
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,853 per month in Lamia vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lamia $1,853
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,515 per month in Lamia vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lamia $2,515
Chiang Mai $1,914

Lamia costs about 27% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Lamia and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Lamia 12% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.07 €15.18

$2.26 ฿75.4

655.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.8 €48.75

$19.18 ฿641

185.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.45 €7.52

$5.59 ฿187

51.16%

Cappuccino

$3.09 €2.75

$1.72 ฿57.6

79.65%

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

$1.37 €1.22

$0.64 ฿21.54

114.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 €0.43

$0.33 ฿11.18

48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.06 €4.50

$2.36 ฿78.7

114.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.22 €5.54

$3.90 ฿130

59.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 €1.49

$2.05 ฿68.6

-18.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.40 ฿46.70

-22.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.28 ฿42.89

59.38%

Eggs

$3.45 €3.07

$2.25 ฿75.3

53.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.25 €8.23

$16.94 ฿566

-45.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.04 €5.37

$2.74 ฿91.6

120.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.18 €8.17

$9.36 ฿313

-1.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.96 €1.74

$2.40 ฿80.3

-18.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.01 ฿33.92

117.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.61 ฿53.9

22.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.52 ฿50.7

41.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.28 ฿42.90

-4.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.11 ฿37.22

2.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 €0.51

$0.72 ฿24.09

-19.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.78

$0.52 ฿17.54

69.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.93 €4.39

$4.33 ฿145

13.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.03 €6.25

$17.73 ฿593

-60.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$1.63 ฿54.4

-44.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 €2.02

$2.85 ฿95.3

-20.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.30 €1.16

$0.85 ฿28.31

52.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.33 €36.76

$53.9 ฿1,801

-23.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.15 €3.70

$1.17 ฿39.18

254.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.57 ฿19.00

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.71 €14.87

$2.37 ฿79.2

605.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.45 ฿48.32

42.07%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

36.85%

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

$27.2K €24.2K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

2.43%

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

$197 €175

$62.3 ฿2,083

215.71%

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

$22.56 €20.06

$12.27 ฿410

83.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.37 €27.02

$19.97 ฿668

52.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 €48.94

$37.91 ฿1,267

45.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.51 €22.69

$3.76 ฿126

578.46%

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 €6.78

$6.71 ฿224

13.56%

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

$275 €244

$797 ฿26.6K

-65.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,477 €5,762

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-56.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.11 €35.68

$53.3 ฿1,780

-24.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.68 €40.63

$25.05 ฿837

82.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.1 €59.7

$91.6 ฿3,062

-26.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €116

$73.5 ฿2,455

77.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$486 €432

$464 ฿15.5K

4.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$225 €200

$305 ฿10.2K

-26.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$497 €442

$915 ฿30.6K

-45.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 €346

$552 ฿18.5K

-29.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,640 €2,349

$1,912 ฿63.9K

38.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,193 €1,951

$1,438 ฿48.1K

52.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,112 €989

$595 ฿19.9K

86.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.34

5.57

-4.13%

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

Last update for Lamia: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lamia

$250 21%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 62.1% $155

Eating Out

Lamia

$244 20.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 67.6% $165

Accommodation & Living

Lamia

$225 18.9%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 35.3% $79

Groceries & Markets

Lamia

$219 18.3%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 8.8% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Lamia

$128 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 14.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Lamia

$70 5.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 26.9% $19

Getting Around

Lamia

$56 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 8.7% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $486 in Lamia 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 87% higher in Lamia, 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 $55.0 in Lamia versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $219 in Lamia vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Lamia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Lamia

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:38 8:38 PM

00:38 12:38 AM

4 h ahead of Lamia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,006

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

Lamia Chiang Mai 7,570 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lamia
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

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

Lamia costs about 27% 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 $1,788 per month in Lamia 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 $275 per month in Lamia and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Lamia – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Lamia at $1,192. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lamia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,192 in Lamia. 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, Lamia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.