Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nantes and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,844 in Nantes, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Nantes
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Nantes Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Nantes

🇫🇷 France

$1,844

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,844 per month in Nantes vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nantes $1,844
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,846 per month in Nantes vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nantes $2,846
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $3,848 per month in Nantes vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nantes $3,848
Chiang Mai $1,903

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

Nantes sits 36% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.51 €14.68

$2.29 ฿76.5

620.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 €50.0

$19.64 ฿656

186.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.10

$5.61 ฿188

102.50%

Cappuccino

$3.67 €3.26

$1.66 ฿55.6

121.08%

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

$3.15 €2.80

$0.70 ฿23.40

350.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$0.31 ฿10.24

425.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 €7.16

$2.41 ฿80.4

234.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.67 €4.15

$3.71 ฿124

25.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.95 ฿65.3

-39.49%

White Bread (500g)

$4.12 €3.66

$1.41 ฿47.03

192.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.20 €2.85

$1.31 ฿43.62

144.27%

Eggs

$3.60 €3.20

$2.18 ฿72.9

65.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.86 €23.01

$16.65 ฿556

55.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.40 €11.03

$2.76 ฿92.2

349.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.81 €14.06

$9.11 ฿304

73.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 €2.79

$2.39 ฿80.0

31.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 €2.30

$1.03 ฿34.26

151.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$1.63 ฿54.4

77.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.96 €2.64

$1.50 ฿50.0

97.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.29 ฿43.13

44.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.11 ฿37.03

75.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.72 ฿24.08

88.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 €0.59

$0.53 ฿17.59

24.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.59 €12.98

$4.31 ฿144

238.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.55 €5.83

$17.95 ฿600

-63.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.52 €3.13

$1.58 ฿52.9

122.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 €2.55

$2.84 ฿95.0

0.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.03 €1.81

$0.86 ฿28.86

136.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.9 €55.0

$53.3 ฿1,780

16.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 €5.02

$1.21 ฿40.29

366.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 €2.44

$0.57 ฿18.99

380.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.40 €32.38

$2.35 ฿78.6

1448.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.44 ฿47.96

46.53%

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

$34.2K €30.4K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

64.97%

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

43.08%

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

$165 €147

$62.3 ฿2,083

164.67%

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

$14.33 €12.75

$12.11 ฿405

18.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.52 €28.93

$19.94 ฿666

63.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.54 €25.39

$37.07 ฿1,239

-23.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.54 €4.04

$3.78 ฿126

20.11%

Cinema Ticket

$13.32 €11.84

$6.50 ฿217

104.92%

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

$1,084 €964

$793 ฿26.5K

36.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.4K €17.2K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

30.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 €83.0

$53.7 ฿1,796

73.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.47 €31.55

$24.62 ฿823

44.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 €82.0

$90.9 ฿3,036

1.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €118

$71.1 ฿2,378

87.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 €735

$455 ฿15.2K

81.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 €591

$298 ฿9,954

123.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 €1,486

$908 ฿30.4K

83.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,244 €1,106

$554 ฿18.5K

124.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,137 €4,570

$1,931 ฿64.5K

166.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,640 €3,238

$1,445 ฿48.3K

152.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,841 €2,527

$591 ฿19.7K

380.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

5.57

-30.16%

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

Last update for Nantes: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nantes

$665 36.1%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 55.2% $367

Groceries & Markets

Nantes

$384 20.8%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 38.7% $149

Eating Out

Nantes

$279 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 71.8% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nantes

$212 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 55.4% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Nantes

$159 8.6%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 32.1% $51

Getting Around

Nantes

$89 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 32% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Nantes

$55 3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 9.3% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $826 in Nantes 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 381% higher in Nantes, 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 $56.0 in Nantes versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $384 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Nantes

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:52 12:52 PM

17:52 5:52 PM

5 h ahead of Nantes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

323,204

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

Nantes Chiang Mai 9,250 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Nantes
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

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

Nantes 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 $2,765 per month in Nantes 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 $1,084 per month in Nantes 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 63% more in Nantes, 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 Nantes at $1,844. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nantes it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,844 in Nantes. 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, Nantes makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.