Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lisbon $2,223
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lisbon $3,271
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lisbon $4,319
Chiang Mai $1,914

Lisbon costs about 137% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisbon sits 65% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.78

$2.26 ฿75.8

630.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.9

$19.18 ฿645

219.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.10

$5.59 ฿188

101.61%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.74

$1.72 ฿58.0

77.91%

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

$2.26 €2.03

$0.64 ฿21.67

253.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.55

$0.33 ฿11.24

424.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.04

$2.36 ฿79.2

43.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.04

$3.90 ฿131

-12.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$2.05 ฿69.0

-45.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.40 ฿46.97

32.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.28 ฿43.14

19.53%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.55

$2.25 ฿75.7

76.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.43

$16.94 ฿569

-24.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.07

$2.74 ฿92.1

188.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.20

$9.36 ฿315

81.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$2.40 ฿80.7

-5.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.57

$1.01 ฿34.11

73.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.61 ฿54.2

14.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.30

$1.52 ฿51.0

69.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.28 ฿43.14

45.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.11 ฿37.43

81.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.29

$0.72 ฿24.23

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.52 ฿17.64

57.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.87

$4.33 ฿145

51.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.04

$17.73 ฿596

-68.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.63 ฿54.7

-21.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.85

$2.85 ฿95.9

-27.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.10

$0.85 ฿28.47

176.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.58

$53.9 ฿1,812

-18.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.57

$1.17 ฿39.40

241.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.57 ฿19.10

91.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.91

$2.37 ฿79.6

602.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.04

$1.45 ฿48.59

57.24%

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

$33.7K €30.2K

$20.5K ฿688.2K

64.47%

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

$39.3K €35.2K

$26.5K ฿891.1K

48.20%

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

$167 €150

$62.3 ฿2,095

168.71%

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

$18.80 €16.84

$12.27 ฿412

53.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.64

$19.97 ฿671

65.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €41.22

$37.91 ฿1,274

21.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.19

$3.76 ฿126

410.37%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.81

$6.71 ฿226

46.65%

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

$677 €607

$797 ฿26.8K

-15.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.2K

$14.8K ฿498.5K

14.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.7

$53.3 ฿1,790

90.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.99

$25.05 ฿842

82.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €89.6

$91.6 ฿3,079

9.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €110

$73.5 ฿2,469

67.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,446

$464 ฿15.6K

247.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,072

$305 ฿10.2K

292.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,563

$915 ฿30.8K

212.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,783

$552 ฿18.6K

260.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,787

$1,912 ฿64.3K

296.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,858

$1,438 ฿48.3K

199.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,422

$595 ฿20.0K

166.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.57

-30.88%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 74.5% $892

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 11.7% $31

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 67.4% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 56.9% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 34.2% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 21.8% $14

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 2.7% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Lisbon 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 167% higher in Lisbon, 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 $61.0 in Lisbon versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:44 10:44 PM

04:44 4:44 AM

6 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Chiang Mai 10,190 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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

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

Lisbon costs about 137% 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 $3,335 per month in Lisbon 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 $677 per month in Lisbon and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Lisbon, 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 $938, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,223 in Lisbon. 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, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.