Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Leeuwarden and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,588 in Leeuwarden, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Leeuwarden
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Leeuwarden Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Leeuwarden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,588

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,588 per month in Leeuwarden vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Leeuwarden $2,588
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $3,825 per month in Leeuwarden vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Leeuwarden $3,825
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $5,063 per month in Leeuwarden vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Leeuwarden $5,063
Chiang Mai $1,903

Leeuwarden costs about 180% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Leeuwarden sits 91% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.50 €20.01

$2.29 ฿76.5

882.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$112 €99.2

$19.64 ฿656

467.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.61 €13.88

$5.61 ฿188

178.25%

Cappuccino

$3.86 €3.44

$1.66 ฿55.6

132.53%

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

$3.73 €3.32

$0.70 ฿23.40

432.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 €2.54

$0.31 ฿10.24

822.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 €6.12

$2.41 ฿80.4

185.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.35 €4.75

$3.71 ฿124

44.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.95 ฿65.3

-40.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.41 ฿47.03

36.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 €2.17

$1.31 ฿43.62

86.26%

Eggs

$4.37 €3.89

$2.18 ฿72.9

100.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.73 €11.32

$16.65 ฿556

-23.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.38 €12.79

$2.76 ฿92.2

421.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.29 €14.49

$9.11 ฿304

78.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.39 ฿80.0

-2.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.13

$1.03 ฿34.26

133.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.63 ฿54.4

13.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.25 €4.67

$1.50 ฿50.0

250.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.29 ฿43.13

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.11 ฿37.03

73.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$0.72 ฿24.08

68.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.81

$0.53 ฿17.59

71.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.20 €12.63

$4.31 ฿144

229.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.02 €6.24

$17.95 ฿600

-60.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.58 ฿52.9

18.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.50

$2.84 ฿95.0

-40.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.29 €2.92

$0.86 ฿28.86

282.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$127 €113

$53.3 ฿1,780

138.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.78 €7.81

$1.21 ฿40.29

625.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.98 €3.54

$0.57 ฿18.99

598.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.0 €45.38

$2.35 ฿78.6

2071.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.41 €2.15

$1.44 ฿47.96

67.36%

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

$41.7K €37.1K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

100.94%

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

$39.0K €34.7K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

45.45%

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

$369 €328

$62.3 ฿2,083

492.40%

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

$43.01 €38.26

$12.11 ฿405

255.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.83 €40.77

$19.94 ฿666

129.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.73 €33.56

$37.07 ฿1,239

1.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.00 €16.90

$3.78 ฿126

402.65%

Cinema Ticket

$16.54 €14.71

$6.50 ฿217

154.46%

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

$1,353 €1,204

$793 ฿26.5K

70.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.5K €20.0K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

51.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €102

$53.7 ฿1,796

112.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.18 €34.85

$24.62 ฿823

59.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$130 €116

$90.9 ฿3,036

42.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €121

$71.1 ฿2,378

91.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,351 €1,202

$455 ฿15.2K

196.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 €915

$298 ฿9,954

245.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,851 €3,425

$908 ฿30.4K

323.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,612 €1,434

$554 ฿18.5K

191.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,638 €3,236

$1,931 ฿64.5K

88.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,248 €2,889

$1,445 ฿48.3K

124.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,989 €2,658

$591 ฿19.7K

405.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.38

5.57

-21.36%

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

Last update for Leeuwarden: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Leeuwarden

$1K 39.7%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 71% $730

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Leeuwarden

$458 17.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 79.4% $364

Eating Out

Leeuwarden

$345 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 77.2% $266

Groceries & Markets

Leeuwarden

$328 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 28.3% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Leeuwarden

$189 7.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 42.7% $81

Getting Around

Leeuwarden

$169 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 64% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Leeuwarden

$71 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 29.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,351 in Leeuwarden versus $455 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 406% higher in Leeuwarden, 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 $112 in Leeuwarden versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Leeuwarden

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:08 10:08 AM

15:08 3:08 PM

5 h ahead of Leeuwarden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,992

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

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Between locations

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

From you

Leeuwarden
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

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

Leeuwarden costs about 180% 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 $3,882 per month in Leeuwarden and $1,388 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 $1,353 per month in Leeuwarden and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Leeuwarden, 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 $925, than in Leeuwarden at $2,588. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Leeuwarden it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,588 in Leeuwarden. 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, Leeuwarden makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.