Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Merignac and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,887 in Merignac, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Merignac
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Merignac Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Merignac

🇫🇷 France

$1,887

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,887 per month in Merignac vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Merignac $1,887
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,897 per month in Merignac vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Merignac $2,897
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,907 per month in Merignac vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Merignac $3,907
Chiang Mai $1,979

Merignac costs about 102% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Merignac sits 39% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.82 €15.11

$2.24 ฿75.7

650.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.8 €69.8

$19.00 ฿642

309.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.43 €12.07

$5.55 ฿188

141.98%

Cappuccino

$3.96 €3.55

$1.67 ฿56.6

137.13%

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

$2.93 €2.63

$0.64 ฿21.56

357.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.24

$0.31 ฿10.32

345.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.44 €6.68

$2.36 ฿79.6

215.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.63 €5.96

$3.66 ฿124

81.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.06

$1.95 ฿65.8

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 €1.78

$1.44 ฿48.51

37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 €2.26

$1.33 ฿45.07

89.47%

Eggs

$3.49 €3.14

$2.28 ฿77.1

53.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 €12.17

$16.45 ฿556

-17.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.70 €13.20

$2.78 ฿94.0

428.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.03 €17.99

$9.31 ฿314

115.15%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 €3.08

$2.35 ฿79.5

45.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.02

$0.97 ฿32.82

131.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.29 €2.96

$1.60 ฿53.9

105.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 €3.12

$1.50 ฿50.7

131.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 €2.04

$1.28 ฿43.15

77.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.88 €2.59

$1.10 ฿37.22

161.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.23

$0.71 ฿23.84

92.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 €0.46

$0.49 ฿16.38

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.21 €11.86

$4.14 ฿140

219.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.92 €8.01

$17.52 ฿592

-49.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.11

$1.61 ฿54.5

114.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.78 ฿94.0

22.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 €1.75

$0.87 ฿29.33

124.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.2 €49.56

$54.1 ฿1,827

2.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 €2.05

$1.16 ฿39.08

97.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.81 €1.63

$0.53 ฿17.82

241.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.65 €33.82

$2.42 ฿81.8

1455.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.96

$1.45 ฿48.93

50.34%

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

$35.0K €31.4K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

66.20%

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

$36.2K €32.5K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

34.18%

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

$222 €200

$62.2 ฿2,100

257.52%

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

$14.09 €12.65

$12.17 ฿411

15.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.79 €27.66

$20.12 ฿680

53.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.86 €28.62

$37.31 ฿1,260

-14.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$12.97 €11.65

$6.49 ฿219

99.85%

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

$797 €716

$736 ฿24.9K

8.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K €9,244

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-30.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 €101

$53.4 ฿1,802

110.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.56 €40.93

$24.64 ฿832

84.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €96.1

$91.5 ฿3,089

16.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €131

$71.9 ฿2,429

102.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$862 €774

$482 ฿16.3K

78.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$656 €589

$309 ฿10.4K

112.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 €1,436

$1,006 ฿34.0K

58.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,144 €1,028

$633 ฿21.4K

80.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,985 €3,580

$2,363 ฿79.8K

68.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,034 €2,726

$1,589 ฿53.7K

90.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

5.57

-31.96%

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

Last update for Merignac: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Merignac

$656 34.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 52.9% $347

Groceries & Markets

Merignac

$357 18.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 34.4% $123

Eating Out

Merignac

$290 15.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 73.3% $212

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Merignac

$267 14.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 64.6% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Merignac

$185 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 41.2% $76

Getting Around

Merignac

$74 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 17.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Merignac

$58 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 13% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $862 in Merignac 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Merignac versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Merignac

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:06 3:06 PM

21:06 9:06 PM

6 h ahead of Merignac

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,729

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Merignac Chiang Mai 9,270 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Merignac
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

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

Merignac costs about 102% 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 $2,831 per month in Merignac 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 $862 in Merignac.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Merignac and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Merignac, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,887 in Merignac and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.