Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mellieha and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,868 in Mellieha, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Mellieha
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Mellieha Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Mellieha

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,868

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,868 per month in Mellieha vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mellieha $1,868
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,814 per month in Mellieha vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mellieha $2,814
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,761 per month in Mellieha vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mellieha $3,761
Chiang Mai $1,914

Mellieha costs about 99% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mellieha sits 38% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.84 €14.98

$2.26 ฿75.4

645.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.6 €57.4

$19.18 ฿641

236.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.74 €9.55

$5.59 ฿187

92.13%

Cappuccino

$2.65 €2.36

$1.72 ฿57.6

54.07%

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

$2.43 €2.16

$0.64 ฿21.54

279.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.76

$0.33 ฿11.18

500.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.92 €3.49

$2.36 ฿78.7

66.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 €6.08

$3.90 ฿130

75.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.05 ฿68.6

-33.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.40 ฿46.70

-2.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.28 ฿42.89

168.75%

Eggs

$4.43 €3.94

$2.25 ฿75.3

96.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.15 €9.03

$16.94 ฿566

-40.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.90 €8.80

$2.74 ฿91.6

261.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.22 €16.21

$9.36 ฿313

94.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 €3.28

$2.40 ฿80.3

53.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$1.01 ฿33.92

178.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.61 ฿53.9

147.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.78 €3.36

$1.52 ฿50.7

148.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.28 ฿42.90

48.44%

Onion (1kg)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.11 ฿37.22

205.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 €1.51

$0.72 ฿24.09

136.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.52 ฿17.54

121.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.43 €5.72

$4.33 ฿145

48.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 €5.35

$17.73 ฿593

-66.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 €2.15

$1.63 ฿54.4

48.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.10

$2.85 ฿95.3

-17.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 €2.43

$0.85 ฿28.31

222.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 €3.52

$1.17 ฿39.18

238.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.57 ฿19.00

222.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.19 €29.52

$2.37 ฿79.2

1300.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.45 ฿48.32

0.69%

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

$28.1K €25.0K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

37.36%

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

$39.0K €34.7K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

47.02%

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

$104 €92.3

$62.3 ฿2,083

66.57%

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

$30.81 €27.40

$12.27 ฿410

151.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.75 €25.57

$19.97 ฿668

43.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.9 €53.3

$37.91 ฿1,267

58.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$8.44 €7.51

$6.71 ฿224

25.78%

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

$282 €250

$797 ฿26.6K

-64.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K €11.0K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-16.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.2 €50.9

$53.3 ฿1,780

7.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.17 €34.85

$25.05 ฿837

56.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.3 €73.2

$91.6 ฿3,062

-10.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.7 €64.7

$73.5 ฿2,455

-1.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 €1,006

$464 ฿15.5K

143.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$915 €814

$305 ฿10.2K

200.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 €1,591

$915 ฿30.6K

95.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 €1,341

$552 ฿18.5K

173.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,935 €3,500

$1,912 ฿63.9K

105.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,756 €2,451

$1,438 ฿48.1K

91.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,350 €1,201

$595 ฿19.9K

126.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

5.57

-27.29%

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

Last update for Mellieha: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mellieha

$915 49%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 66.7% $610

Groceries & Markets

Mellieha

$326 17.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 26.9% $88

Eating Out

Mellieha

$250 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 68.4% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mellieha

$163 8.8%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 42.1% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Mellieha

$113 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 3.2% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Mellieha

$77 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 33.1% $25

Getting Around

Mellieha

$24 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 154% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,131 in Mellieha versus $464 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 127% higher in Mellieha, 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 $65.0 in Mellieha versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Mellieha

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:22 5:22 PM

22:22 10:22 PM

5 h ahead of Mellieha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,087

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

Mellieha Chiang Mai 8,330 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mellieha
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

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

Mellieha costs about 99% 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 $2,802 per month in Mellieha and $1,408 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Mellieha and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Mellieha, 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 $938, than in Mellieha at $1,868. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mellieha it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,868 in Mellieha. 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, Mellieha makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.