Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Luqa and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,845 in Luqa, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Luqa
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Luqa Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Luqa

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,845

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,845 per month in Luqa vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Luqa $1,845
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,902 per month in Luqa vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Luqa $2,902
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,960 per month in Luqa vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Luqa $3,960
Chiang Mai $1,979

Luqa costs about 97% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Luqa sits 36% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.96 €17.81

$2.24 ฿75.6

791.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.9 €89.1

$19.00 ฿641

425.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 €9.65

$5.55 ฿187

94.77%

Cappuccino

$3.40 €3.03

$1.67 ฿56.5

103.59%

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

$2.89 €2.58

$0.64 ฿21.53

351.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.31 ฿10.30

535.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 €4.05

$2.36 ฿79.5

92.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 €3.81

$3.66 ฿124

16.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.95 ฿65.7

-41.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.44 ฿48.45

-19.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.17 €2.83

$1.33 ฿45.01

138.35%

Eggs

$3.93 €3.51

$2.28 ฿77.0

72.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.31 €11.87

$16.45 ฿555

-19.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.92 €8.85

$2.78 ฿93.8

256.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.81 €14.10

$9.31 ฿314

69.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 €2.44

$2.35 ฿79.4

16.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.97 ฿32.78

103.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.60 ฿53.9

86.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 €3.32

$1.50 ฿50.6

148.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.28 ฿43.10

39.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.10 ฿37.17

79.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.71 ฿23.81

171.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.80

$0.49 ฿16.36

81.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.84 €6.10

$4.14 ฿140

65.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.17 €6.40

$17.52 ฿591

-59.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.61 ฿54.5

-6.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.78 ฿93.9

-19.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.87 ฿29.29

151.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.44 €12.89

$54.1 ฿1,825

-73.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 €4.03

$1.16 ฿39.03

289.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 €1.46

$0.53 ฿17.79

209.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.01 €34.81

$2.42 ฿81.7

1511.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.45 ฿48.87

0.69%

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

$24.9K €22.2K

$21.1K ฿710.3K

18.35%

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

$39.5K €35.2K

$26.9K ฿908.7K

46.47%

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

$74.9 €66.8

$62.2 ฿2,097

20.41%

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

$35.83 €31.96

$12.17 ฿410

194.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.44 €29.83

$20.12 ฿679

66.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.49

$37.31 ฿1,259

42.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$55.2 €49.23

$3.77 ฿127

1363.40%

Cinema Ticket

$11.10 €9.91

$6.49 ฿219

71.03%

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

$611 €545

$736 ฿24.8K

-16.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K €12.1K

$14.8K ฿498.0K

-7.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$145 €129

$53.4 ฿1,800

171.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 €49.04

$24.64 ฿831

123.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 €76.0

$91.5 ฿3,086

-6.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €121

$71.9 ฿2,426

87.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 €724

$482 ฿16.3K

68.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 €731

$309 ฿10.4K

165.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,284 €1,146

$1,006 ฿33.9K

27.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 €1,158

$633 ฿21.4K

104.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,945 €2,627

$2,363 ฿79.7K

24.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,120 €2,784

$1,589 ฿53.6K

96.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,456 €1,299

$590 ฿19.9K

146.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.22

5.57

-42.19%

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

Last update for Luqa: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Luqa

$819 44.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 62.3% $510

Groceries & Markets

Luqa

$299 16.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 21.5% $64

Eating Out

Luqa

$284 15.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 72.6% $206

Clothing & Footwear

Luqa

$189 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 42.5% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Luqa

$144 7.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 34.5% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Luqa

$75 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 33.3% $25

Getting Around

Luqa

$36 2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 70.9% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $811 in Luqa 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 Luqa are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Luqa versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $299 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Luqa

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

01:15 1:15 AM

6 h ahead of Luqa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,900

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Luqa Chiang Mai 8,320 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Luqa
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

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

Luqa costs about 97% 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 $2,768 per month in Luqa 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 $811 in Luqa.

Kindergarten costs $611 per month in Luqa 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 Luqa, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,845 in Luqa and $936 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 $936 versus $1,845 in Luqa. 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, Luqa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.