Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisse and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,689 in Lisse, rent and utilities included – about $21,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Lisse
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Lisse Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Lisse

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,689

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,689 per month in Lisse vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lisse $2,689
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $3,848 per month in Lisse vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lisse $3,848
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $5,007 per month in Lisse vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lisse $5,007
Chiang Mai $1,999

Lisse costs about 187% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lisse sits 99% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.22 €19.74

$2.13 ฿71.8

943.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.2 €81.1

$18.62 ฿626

390.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 €9.05

$5.60 ฿188

81.96%

Cappuccino

$3.57 €3.17

$1.66 ฿55.9

115.06%

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

$3.41 €3.03

$0.65 ฿21.75

424.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 €2.43

$0.30 ฿10.25

813.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.57 €5.83

$2.32 ฿78.1

183.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.79

$3.67 ฿123

16.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.02 ฿67.8

-28.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.41 ฿47.34

61.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$1.39 ฿46.79

80.58%

Eggs

$4.60 €4.09

$2.37 ฿79.6

94.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.52 €12.90

$16.52 ฿555

-12.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.85 €11.41

$2.67 ฿89.8

381.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.90 €16.79

$9.02 ฿303

109.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 €2.40

$2.40 ฿80.6

12.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.04 ฿35.01

116.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.66 ฿55.8

24.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 €3.29

$1.56 ฿52.4

137.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.24 ฿41.61

5.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.09 ฿36.53

23.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 €0.99

$0.76 ฿25.61

46.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.51 ฿17.29

84.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.54 €12.91

$4.12 ฿139

252.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.84 €5.18

$17.93 ฿603

-67.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.20

$1.62 ฿54.6

-16.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$2.82 ฿94.9

-31.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.74 €3.33

$0.93 ฿31.42

302.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.4 €87.4

$52.9 ฿1,778

85.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.66 €4.14

$1.18 ฿39.56

294.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.47 €3.08

$0.17 ฿5.76

1941.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.10 €39.18

$1.81 ฿60.9

2336.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.58 €2.29

$1.47 ฿49.51

75.51%

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

$40.7K €36.2K

$21.0K ฿706.4K

93.81%

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

$39.1K €34.7K

$26.5K ฿891.4K

47.28%

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

$280 €249

$62.6 ฿2,103

347.36%

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

$28.25 €25.09

$11.60 ฿390

143.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.9 €49.68

$20.30 ฿683

175.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.77 €38.88

$37.88 ฿1,274

15.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.29 €18.91

$3.70 ฿124

475.41%

Cinema Ticket

$16.16 €14.36

$6.51 ฿219

148.23%

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

$2,561 €2,275

$727 ฿24.4K

252.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,035 €7,137

$16.6K ฿557.2K

-51.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.5 €84.9

$53.5 ฿1,800

78.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.85 €38.95

$24.80 ฿834

76.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.4

$90.4 ฿3,039

18.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 €121

$72.0 ฿2,420

89.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 €1,252

$481 ฿16.2K

192.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,295 €1,151

$310 ฿10.4K

317.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,770

$1,058 ฿35.6K

88.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,898 €1,686

$659 ฿22.1K

188.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,494 €4,880

$2,418 ฿81.3K

127.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,000 €4,441

$1,609 ฿54.1K

210.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,081 €3,625

$595 ฿20.0K

586.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

5.57

-38.96%

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

Last update for Lisse: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisse

$1.3K 48.2%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 76.1% $985

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisse

$364 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 74% $270

Groceries & Markets

Lisse

$329 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 28% $92

Eating Out

Lisse

$317 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 75.9% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Lisse

$173 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 37.2% $64

Getting Around

Lisse

$135 5%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 56.7% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Lisse

$76 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 33.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,410 in Lisse versus $481 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 Lisse are about 6.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in Lisse versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $329 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Lisse

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:13 12:13 AM

06:13 6:13 AM

6 h ahead of Lisse

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,995

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.13 USD

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lisse Chiang Mai 8,660 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Lisse
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

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

Lisse costs about 187% 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 $4,034 per month in Lisse 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 $481 there versus $1,410 in Lisse.

Kindergarten costs $2,561 per month in Lisse and $727 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 Lisse, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,689 in Lisse and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $935 versus $2,689 in Lisse. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisse makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.