Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madeira and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,605 in Madeira, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Madeira
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Madeira Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,605

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,605 per month in Madeira vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Madeira $1,605
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,364 per month in Madeira vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Madeira $2,364
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $3,124 per month in Madeira vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Madeira $3,124
Chiang Mai $1,999

Madeira costs about 72% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Madeira 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

$11.64 €10.40

$2.13 ฿71.9

446.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 €41.58

$18.62 ฿628

150.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.47 €8.46

$5.60 ฿189

69.11%

Cappuccino

$2.14 €1.91

$1.66 ฿56.0

28.92%

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

$1.95 €1.74

$0.65 ฿21.80

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.30 ฿10.28

353.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.32 ฿78.3

-0.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.56 €3.18

$3.67 ฿124

-3.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 €0.94

$2.02 ฿67.9

-48.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.41 ฿47.45

7.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 €1.44

$1.39 ฿46.90

15.83%

Eggs

$3.08 €2.75

$2.37 ฿79.8

29.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.55 €10.32

$16.52 ฿557

-30.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.59 €6.78

$2.67 ฿90.0

184.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.30 €12.77

$9.02 ฿304

58.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 €2.14

$2.40 ฿80.8

-0.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.04 ฿35.09

37.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.66 ฿55.9

9.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 €2.30

$1.56 ฿52.5

65.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.24 ฿41.71

16.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.09 ฿36.62

69.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.76 ฿25.67

102.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.72

$0.51 ฿17.33

56.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.19 €5.53

$4.12 ฿139

50.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.12 €4.57

$17.93 ฿604

-71.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.62 ฿54.7

-22.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.07

$2.82 ฿95.1

-17.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.93 ฿31.49

151.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.53 €37.99

$52.9 ฿1,782

-19.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 €3.67

$1.18 ฿39.65

248.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 €0.58

$0.17 ฿5.78

282.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.57 €15.70

$1.81 ฿61.1

870.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.78

$1.47 ฿49.63

35.37%

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

$34.4K €30.7K

$21.0K ฿708.1K

63.59%

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

$38.7K €34.5K

$26.5K ฿893.6K

45.83%

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

$135 €120

$62.6 ฿2,108

115.41%

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

$21.17 €18.91

$11.60 ฿391

82.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.39 €36.97

$20.30 ฿684

103.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.66 €39.89

$37.88 ฿1,277

17.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.38 €15.52

$3.70 ฿125

369.73%

Cinema Ticket

$8.19 €7.31

$6.51 ฿219

25.81%

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

$469 €419

$727 ฿24.5K

-35.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,199 €7,323

$16.6K ฿558.5K

-50.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.2 €66.3

$53.5 ฿1,804

38.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 €35.07

$24.80 ฿836

58.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.0 €83.9

$90.4 ฿3,046

3.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.0 €83.1

$72.0 ฿2,425

29.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$922 €824

$481 ฿16.2K

91.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 €650

$310 ฿10.4K

134.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,442 €1,288

$1,058 ฿35.7K

36.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 €1,043

$659 ฿22.2K

77.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,034 €2,710

$2,418 ฿81.5K

25.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,318 €2,071

$1,609 ฿54.2K

44.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.01

5.57

-10.05%

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

Last update for Madeira: November 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madeira

$727 45.3%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 57.4% $417

Groceries & Markets

Madeira

$246 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 3.7% $9.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madeira

$197 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 52.1% $103

Eating Out

Madeira

$179 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 57.2% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Madeira

$135 8.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 19.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Madeira

$61 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 16.6% $10

Getting Around

Madeira

$59 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 1% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $922 in Madeira 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Madeira versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Madeira

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

20:35 8:35 PM

7 h ahead of Madeira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Madeira Chiang Mai 11,120 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Madeira
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

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

Madeira costs about 72% 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 $2,407 per month in Madeira 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 $922 in Madeira.

Kindergarten costs $469 per month in Madeira 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 4% more in Madeira, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,605 in Madeira and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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