Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lousã and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,624 in Lousã, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Lousã
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Lousã Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Lousã

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,624

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,624 per month in Lousã vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lousã $1,624
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,372 per month in Lousã vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lousã $2,372
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,120 per month in Lousã vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lousã $3,120
Chiang Mai $1,979

Lousã costs about 74% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lousã sits 19% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.58 €12.16

$2.24 ฿75.6

506.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.12 €42.20

$19.00 ฿641

148.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.95 €8.02

$5.55 ฿187

61.26%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.90

$1.67 ฿56.5

27.54%

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

$2.03 €1.81

$0.64 ฿21.54

217.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.27

$0.31 ฿10.31

358.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 €1.99

$2.36 ฿79.5

-5.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 €2.46

$3.66 ฿124

-24.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 €0.91

$1.95 ฿65.7

-48.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.44 ฿48.46

5.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 €1.56

$1.33 ฿45.03

30.83%

Eggs

$2.90 €2.59

$2.28 ฿77.1

27.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.72 €10.49

$16.45 ฿555

-28.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 €6.90

$2.78 ฿93.9

176.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.43 €12.93

$9.31 ฿314

54.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$2.35 ฿79.4

-19.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$0.97 ฿32.79

56.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.60 ฿53.9

15.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 €2.16

$1.50 ฿50.6

60.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.28 ฿43.11

39.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 €1.78

$1.10 ฿37.18

80.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$0.71 ฿23.82

116.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.63

$0.49 ฿16.36

42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.26 €5.61

$4.14 ฿140

51.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.57 €4.09

$17.52 ฿591

-73.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.18

$1.61 ฿54.5

-18.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 €1.91

$2.78 ฿93.9

-23.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.08 €1.86

$0.87 ฿29.30

139.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.95 €35.78

$54.1 ฿1,825

-26.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 €4.01

$1.16 ฿39.04

286.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 €1.26

$0.53 ฿17.80

164.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.78 €12.35

$2.42 ฿81.7

469.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.45 ฿48.88

48.28%

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

$33.3K €29.8K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

58.24%

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

$37.0K €33.1K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

37.36%

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

$105 €94.3

$62.2 ฿2,098

69.39%

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

$17.49 €15.66

$12.17 ฿411

43.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.02 €29.57

$20.12 ฿679

64.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.18 €36.88

$37.31 ฿1,259

10.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.92 €13.37

$3.77 ฿127

295.76%

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 €7.37

$6.49 ฿219

26.81%

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

$450 €403

$736 ฿24.8K

-38.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,352 €5,689

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-56.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.9 €85.0

$53.4 ฿1,801

77.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.35 €32.55

$24.64 ฿831

47.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.1 €67.3

$91.5 ฿3,087

-17.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €92.3

$71.9 ฿2,427

43.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$959 €859

$482 ฿16.3K

98.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$778 €696

$309 ฿10.4K

151.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,629 €1,459

$1,006 ฿33.9K

61.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,184 €1,060

$633 ฿21.4K

86.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,734 €2,449

$2,363 ฿79.7K

15.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,461 €2,204

$1,589 ฿53.6K

54.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.7

5.57

-33.57%

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

Last update for Lousã: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lousã

$778 47.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 60.3% $469

Groceries & Markets

Lousã

$243 14.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 3.4% $8.4

Eating Out

Lousã

$191 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 59.5% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lousã

$156 9.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 39.4% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Lousã

$139 8.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 22% $31

Getting Around

Lousã

$60 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2.6% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Lousã

$58 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 12.8% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $959 in Lousã 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Lousã versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lousã

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

12:06 12:06 PM

7 h ahead of Lousã

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,007

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lousã Chiang Mai 10,050 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Lousã
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

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

Lousã costs about 74% 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 $2,436 per month in Lousã 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 $959 in Lousã.

Kindergarten costs $450 per month in Lousã 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 4% more in Lousã, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,624 in Lousã and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,624 in Lousã. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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