Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montijo and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,874 in Montijo, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Montijo
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Montijo Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Montijo

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,874

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,874 per month in Montijo vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Montijo $1,874
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,630 per month in Montijo vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Montijo $2,630
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,386 per month in Montijo vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Montijo $3,386
Chiang Mai $1,979

Montijo costs about 100% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Montijo sits 38% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.05 €10.79

$2.24 ฿75.6

437.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.53 €39.88

$19.00 ฿641

134.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.92 €7.99

$5.55 ฿187

60.72%

Cappuccino

$2.49 €2.23

$1.67 ฿56.5

49.10%

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

$2.16 €1.93

$0.64 ฿21.54

237.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.55

$0.31 ฿10.31

458.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.36 ฿79.5

44.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 €3.45

$3.66 ฿124

5.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.95 ฿65.7

-34.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 €1.91

$1.44 ฿48.46

47.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 €1.88

$1.33 ฿45.03

57.89%

Eggs

$3.45 €3.09

$2.28 ฿77.1

51.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 €9.68

$16.45 ฿555

-34.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.88 €6.16

$2.78 ฿93.9

147.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.31 €13.71

$9.31 ฿314

64.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 €2.48

$2.35 ฿79.4

17.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.97 ฿32.79

50.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.60 ฿53.9

15.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 €2.40

$1.50 ฿50.6

78.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 €1.40

$1.28 ฿43.11

21.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.10 ฿37.18

102.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 €1.48

$0.71 ฿23.82

132.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.77

$0.49 ฿16.36

73.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.89 €5.27

$4.14 ฿140

42.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.59 €5.90

$17.52 ฿591

-62.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.81

$1.61 ฿54.5

-43.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.36

$2.78 ฿93.9

-45.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 €2.02

$0.87 ฿29.30

158.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.08 €40.37

$54.1 ฿1,825

-16.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.29 €2.05

$1.16 ฿39.04

97.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 €0.87

$0.53 ฿17.80

83.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.82 €16.86

$2.42 ฿81.7

677.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.45 ฿48.88

41.38%

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

$33.6K €30.1K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

59.41%

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

$38.5K €34.4K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

42.74%

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

$132 €118

$62.2 ฿2,098

112.27%

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

$20.91 €18.73

$12.17 ฿411

71.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.7 €50.8

$20.12 ฿679

181.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.54 €20.19

$37.31 ฿1,259

-39.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.33 €15.52

$3.77 ฿127

359.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.77 €6.96

$6.49 ฿219

19.72%

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

$465 €416

$736 ฿24.8K

-36.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K €10.2K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-22.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 €59.5

$53.4 ฿1,801

24.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.83 €33.88

$24.64 ฿831

53.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.4 €63.9

$91.5 ฿3,087

-21.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 €85.8

$71.9 ฿2,427

33.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 €1,064

$482 ฿16.3K

146.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$991 €887

$309 ฿10.4K

220.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,687 €1,511

$1,006 ฿33.9K

67.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,441 €1,290

$633 ฿21.4K

127.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,100 €2,776

$2,363 ฿79.7K

31.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,351 €2,105

$1,589 ฿53.6K

47.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,098 €983

$590 ฿19.9K

86.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

5.57

-34.11%

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

Last update for Montijo: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Montijo

$991 52.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 68.8% $682

Groceries & Markets

Montijo

$259 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 9.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montijo

$210 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 54.9% $115

Eating Out

Montijo

$193 10.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 59.9% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Montijo

$122 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 11% $13

Getting Around

Montijo

$61 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 0.2% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Montijo

$38 2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 32% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,188 in Montijo 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.

Salaries run about 86% higher in Montijo, 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 $45 in Montijo versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $259 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Montijo

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:19 9:19 PM

04:19 4:19 AM

7 h ahead of Montijo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,689

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Montijo Chiang Mai 10,180 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Montijo
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

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

Montijo costs about 100% 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 $2,811 per month in Montijo 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 $1,188 in Montijo.

Kindergarten costs $465 per month in Montijo and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Montijo, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,874 in Montijo and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,874 in Montijo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Montijo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.