Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Marseille and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,045 in Marseille, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Marseille
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Marseille Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Marseille

🇫🇷 France

$2,045

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,045 per month in Marseille vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Marseille $2,045
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $3,211 per month in Marseille vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Marseille $3,211
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $4,377 per month in Marseille vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Marseille $4,377
Chiang Mai $1,999

Marseille costs about 119% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Marseille sits 51% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.01 €15.17

$2.13 ฿72.0

698.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.0 €65.1

$18.62 ฿628

292.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.56 €12.10

$5.60 ฿189

142.14%

Cappuccino

$3.49 €3.11

$1.66 ฿56.1

110.24%

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

$3.14 €2.80

$0.65 ฿21.82

383.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$0.30 ฿10.29

550.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.88 €6.14

$2.32 ฿78.3

196.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.57 €5.86

$3.67 ฿124

79.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$2.02 ฿68.0

-37.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.49 €2.22

$1.41 ฿47.49

76.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 €2.73

$1.39 ฿46.94

120.14%

Eggs

$4.84 €4.32

$2.37 ฿79.9

104.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.99 €24.07

$16.52 ฿557

63.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.46 €12.90

$2.67 ฿90.1

441.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.82 €23.92

$9.02 ฿304

197.34%

Apples (1kg)

$3.77 €3.36

$2.40 ฿80.9

57.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.04 ฿35.12

136.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.62 €4.12

$1.66 ฿56.0

178.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.93 €3.51

$1.56 ฿52.6

151.92%

Potato (1kg)

$3.07 €2.74

$1.24 ฿41.75

147.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 €2.15

$1.09 ฿36.65

121.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 €1.74

$0.76 ฿25.70

156.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.51 ฿17.34

168.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.91 €12.40

$4.12 ฿139

237.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.14 €8.15

$17.93 ฿605

-49.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 €2.86

$1.62 ฿54.8

98.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 €3.95

$2.82 ฿95.2

57.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 €1.84

$0.93 ฿31.52

121.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.50 €40.58

$52.9 ฿1,784

-13.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 €2.36

$1.18 ฿39.69

123.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.17 ฿5.78

652.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.57 €35.30

$1.81 ฿61.1

2086.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.47 ฿49.67

56.46%

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

$34.3K €30.6K

$21.0K ฿708.7K

63.47%

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

$38.9K €34.7K

$26.5K ฿894.4K

46.53%

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

$189 €169

$62.6 ฿2,110

202.86%

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

$17.74 €15.82

$11.60 ฿391

52.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.34 €32.41

$20.30 ฿685

79.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.07 €31.29

$37.88 ฿1,278

-7.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.55 €25.47

$3.70 ฿125

671.62%

Cinema Ticket

$14.60 €13.02

$6.51 ฿220

124.27%

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

$862 €769

$727 ฿24.5K

18.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K €10.1K

$16.6K ฿559.0K

-31.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.8 €81.9

$53.5 ฿1,806

71.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.2 €47.44

$24.80 ฿836

114.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 €105

$90.4 ฿3,049

30.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 €136

$72.0 ฿2,428

111.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 €760

$481 ฿16.2K

76.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$745 €664

$310 ฿10.5K

140.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 €1,522

$1,058 ฿35.7K

61.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 €1,256

$659 ฿22.2K

113.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,121 €4,568

$2,418 ฿81.5K

111.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,430 €3,060

$1,609 ฿54.3K

113.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,637 €2,352

$595 ฿20.1K

343.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

5.57

-29.80%

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

Last update for Marseille: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Marseille

$745 36.4%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 58.4% $435

Groceries & Markets

Marseille

$456 22.3%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 48.1% $219

Eating Out

Marseille

$287 14%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 73.3% $210

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Marseille

$244 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 61.2% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Marseille

$187 9.1%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 42% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Marseille

$64 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 20.8% $13

Getting Around

Marseille

$63 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 6.5% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $852 in Marseille 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 Marseille are about 4.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Marseille versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $456 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Marseille

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:16 7:16 PM

01:16 1:16 AM

6 h ahead of Marseille

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

873,076

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Marseille Chiang Mai 8,870 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Marseille
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

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

Marseille costs about 119% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,067 per month in Marseille 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 $852 in Marseille.

Kindergarten costs $862 per month in Marseille 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 93% more in Marseille, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,045 in Marseille 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 $2,045 in Marseille. 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, Marseille makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.