Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maia and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,182 in Maia, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Maia
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Maia Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Maia

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,182

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,182 per month in Maia vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Maia $2,182
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,718 per month in Maia vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Maia $2,718
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $3,254 per month in Maia vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Maia $3,254
Chiang Mai $1,903

Maia costs about 136% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Maia sits 61% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.42 €10.16

$2.29 ฿76.5

398.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.0 €44.49

$19.64 ฿656

154.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.88 €7.90

$5.61 ฿188

58.29%

Cappuccino

$2.00 €1.78

$1.66 ฿55.6

20.48%

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

$1.93 €1.71

$0.70 ฿23.40

175.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.31 ฿10.24

367.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.41 ฿80.4

-7.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 €3.57

$3.71 ฿124

8.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.95 ฿65.3

-43.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.41 ฿47.03

19.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.37

$1.31 ฿43.62

16.79%

Eggs

$2.89 €2.57

$2.18 ฿72.9

32.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.29 €11.82

$16.65 ฿556

-20.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.93 €7.05

$2.76 ฿92.2

187.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.73 €13.10

$9.11 ฿304

61.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$2.39 ฿80.0

-6.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.03 ฿34.26

68.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.63 ฿54.4

26.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$1.50 ฿50.0

55.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.29 ฿43.13

72.09%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.11 ฿37.03

97.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 €0.82

$0.72 ฿24.08

29.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.53 ฿17.59

107.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.62 €5.89

$4.31 ฿144

53.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.61 €4.10

$17.95 ฿600

-74.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.58 ฿52.9

-17.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.19

$2.84 ฿95.0

-13.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 €2.20

$0.86 ฿28.86

187.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.74 €39.80

$53.3 ฿1,780

-16.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.55 €4.04

$1.21 ฿40.29

276.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.57 ฿18.99

152.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.93 €15.06

$2.35 ฿78.6

620.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.44 ฿47.96

45.83%

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

$32.3K €28.7K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

55.61%

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

$38.5K €34.2K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

43.56%

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

$106 €94.3

$62.3 ฿2,083

70.14%

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

$20.07 €17.85

$12.11 ฿405

65.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.05 €33.84

$19.94 ฿666

90.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.89 €39.93

$37.07 ฿1,239

21.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.01 €30.25

$3.78 ฿126

799.74%

Cinema Ticket

$8.65 €7.70

$6.50 ฿217

33.08%

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

$439 €390

$793 ฿26.5K

-44.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,437 €5,726

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-56.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €98.9

$53.7 ฿1,796

106.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.04 €19.60

$24.62 ฿823

-10.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.9 €67.5

$90.9 ฿3,036

-16.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.0

$71.1 ฿2,378

48.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,072 €953

$455 ฿15.2K

135.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,313 €1,168

$298 ฿9,954

340.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,706 €1,518

$908 ฿30.4K

87.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,242 €1,105

$554 ฿18.5K

124.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,036 €2,701

$1,931 ฿64.5K

57.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,673 €1,488

$1,445 ฿48.3K

15.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,420 €1,263

$591 ฿19.7K

140.40%

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 Maia: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maia

$1.3K 60.2%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 77.3% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Maia

$259 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 9.2% $24

Eating Out

Maia

$175 8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 55% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maia

$164 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 42.5% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Maia

$142 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 23.6% $33

Getting Around

Maia

$66 3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 8.4% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Maia

$62 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 19.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,072 in Maia versus $455 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 140% higher in Maia, 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 $50.0 in Maia versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $259 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Maia

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:31 7:31 PM

01:31 1:31 AM

6 h ahead of Maia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

134,988

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Maia Chiang Mai 10,030 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Maia
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

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

Maia costs about 136% 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 $3,273 per month in Maia and $1,388 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 $439 per month in Maia and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Maia, 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 $925, than in Maia at $2,182. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,182 in Maia. 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, Maia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.