Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lelystad and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,710 in Lelystad, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Lelystad
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Lelystad Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Lelystad

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$1,710

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,710 per month in Lelystad vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lelystad $1,710
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,651 per month in Lelystad vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lelystad $2,651
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,592 per month in Lelystad vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lelystad $3,592
Chiang Mai $1,979

Lelystad costs about 83% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lelystad sits 26% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.27 €20.01

$2.24 ฿75.7

894.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.4 €74.0

$19.00 ฿642

333.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €12.02

$5.55 ฿188

140.90%

Cappuccino

$4.10 €3.69

$1.67 ฿56.6

145.51%

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

$2.60 €2.34

$0.64 ฿21.56

306.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.31 ฿10.32

651.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.20 €4.67

$2.36 ฿79.6

120.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 €4.05

$3.66 ฿124

23.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.95 ฿65.8

-35.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 €1.46

$1.44 ฿48.51

13.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.40 €2.15

$1.33 ฿45.07

80.45%

Eggs

$4.60 €4.13

$2.28 ฿77.1

101.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.80 €6.11

$16.45 ฿556

-58.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.20 €12.75

$2.78 ฿94.0

410.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.57 €14.89

$9.31 ฿314

77.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 €1.90

$2.35 ฿79.5

-10.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 €2.21

$0.97 ฿32.82

153.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.65

$1.60 ฿53.9

14.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.53 €3.17

$1.50 ฿50.7

135.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.28 ฿43.15

35.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.10 ฿37.22

58.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.15

$0.71 ฿23.84

80.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$0.49 ฿16.38

65.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.44 €8.48

$4.14 ฿140

128.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.85 €6.15

$17.52 ฿592

-60.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.15

$1.61 ฿54.5

-20.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 €2.18

$2.78 ฿94.0

-12.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 €99.5

$54.1 ฿1,827

104.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 €3.34

$1.16 ฿39.08

220.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 €2.36

$0.53 ฿17.82

396.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.07 €23.42

$2.42 ฿81.8

977.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.45 ฿48.93

50.34%

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

$33.6K €30.1K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

59.34%

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

$39.4K €35.4K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

46.10%

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

$242 €217

$62.2 ฿2,100

288.71%

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

$14.72 €13.22

$12.17 ฿411

20.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.30 €29.02

$20.12 ฿680

60.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.75 €38.41

$37.31 ฿1,260

14.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$13.62 €12.24

$6.49 ฿219

109.86%

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

$2,725 €2,448

$736 ฿24.9K

270.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,152 €7,325

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-44.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 €83.5

$53.4 ฿1,802

74.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.39 €43.48

$24.64 ฿832

96.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 €84.2

$91.5 ฿3,089

2.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 €103

$71.9 ฿2,429

60.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 €601

$482 ฿16.3K

38.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 €402

$309 ฿10.4K

44.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 €1,195

$1,006 ฿34.0K

32.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$770 €692

$633 ฿21.4K

21.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,420 €2,174

$590 ฿19.9K

310.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.23

5.57

-42.01%

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

Last update for Lelystad: 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

Lelystad

$447 26.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 30.9% $138

Eating Out

Lelystad

$322 18.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 75.9% $245

Groceries & Markets

Lelystad

$297 17.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 21% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lelystad

$289 16.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 67.3% $194

Clothing & Footwear

Lelystad

$158 9.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 31.1% $49

Getting Around

Lelystad

$128 * 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 51.9% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Lelystad

$70 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 28.2% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $668 in Lelystad 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 Lelystad are about 4.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82 in Lelystad versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Lelystad

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:04 3:04 PM

21:04 9:04 PM

6 h ahead of Lelystad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,598

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lelystad Chiang Mai 8,590 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lelystad
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

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

Lelystad costs about 83% 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 $2,565 per month in Lelystad 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 $668 in Lelystad.

Kindergarten costs $2,725 per month in Lelystad 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 27% more in Lelystad, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,710 in Lelystad and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Lelystad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.