Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oulu and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,878 in Oulu, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Oulu
Learn more

Oulu Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Oulu

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,878

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,878 per month in Oulu vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Oulu $1,878
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,905 per month in Oulu vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Oulu $2,905
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,932 per month in Oulu vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Oulu $3,932
Chiang Mai $1,979

Oulu costs about 101% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Oulu 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

$17.48 €15.66

$2.24 ฿75.6

680.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.5 €81.1

$19.00 ฿641

376.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.02 €13.46

$5.55 ฿187

170.63%

Cappuccino

$4.83 €4.33

$1.67 ฿56.5

189.22%

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

$2.95 €2.65

$0.64 ฿21.55

360.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.05

$0.31 ฿10.31

635.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 €6.88

$2.36 ฿79.6

225.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.96 €7.13

$3.66 ฿124

117.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.95 ฿65.8

-38.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €2.05

$1.44 ฿48.48

58.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 €2.49

$1.33 ฿45.04

109.02%

Eggs

$3.16 €2.84

$2.28 ฿77.1

38.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.40 €6.63

$16.45 ฿555

-55.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.67 €12.25

$2.78 ฿93.9

391.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.93 €20.55

$9.31 ฿314

146.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.35 ฿79.4

-1.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.97 ฿32.80

103.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.10 €1.88

$1.60 ฿53.9

31.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 €3.77

$1.50 ฿50.6

180.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 €0.87

$1.28 ฿43.12

-24.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 €1.47

$1.10 ฿37.19

49.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.69 €2.41

$0.71 ฿23.82

278.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.44

$0.49 ฿16.37

228.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.25 €11.87

$4.14 ฿140

220.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.35 €11.07

$17.52 ฿591

-29.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.62 €3.24

$1.61 ฿54.5

124.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 €2.77

$2.78 ฿94.0

11.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.99 €2.68

$0.87 ฿29.31

243.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.4 €56.8

$54.1 ฿1,826

17.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.58 €8.58

$1.16 ฿39.06

725.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 €1.41

$0.53 ฿17.80

198.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$55.5 €49.69

$2.42 ฿81.8

2191.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.24 €2.01

$1.45 ฿48.90

54.48%

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

$35.9K €32.2K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

70.55%

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

$37.0K €33.1K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

37.24%

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

$116 €104

$62.2 ฿2,098

86.31%

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

$25.74 €23.06

$12.17 ฿411

111.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.15 €18.95

$20.12 ฿679

5.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.45 €33.55

$37.31 ฿1,259

0.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.34 €17.33

$3.77 ฿127

413.00%

Cinema Ticket

$17.03 €15.26

$6.49 ฿219

162.40%

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

$519 €465

$736 ฿24.8K

-29.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.4 €81.9

$53.4 ฿1,801

71.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 €39.47

$24.64 ฿831

78.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €98.0

$91.5 ฿3,087

19.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$209 €188

$71.9 ฿2,428

191.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$848 €760

$482 ฿16.3K

75.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 €603

$309 ฿10.4K

117.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,384 €1,240

$1,006 ฿33.9K

37.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 €932

$633 ฿21.4K

64.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,725 €3,338

$2,363 ฿79.8K

57.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,990 €1,783

$1,589 ฿53.6K

25.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,504 €2,244

$590 ฿19.9K

324.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.1

5.57

-26.39%

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

Last update for Oulu: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oulu

$673 35.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 54.1% $364

Groceries & Markets

Oulu

$356 19%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 34.1% $122

Eating Out

Oulu

$318 16.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 75.6% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Oulu

$204 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 46.8% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oulu

$163 8.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 41.9% $68

Getting Around

Oulu

$93 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 33.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Oulu

$72 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 29.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $848 in Oulu 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 in Oulu are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Oulu versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇮 Oulu

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:10 10:10 AM

15:10 3:10 PM

5 h ahead of Oulu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

214,651

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Oulu Chiang Mai 7,350 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Oulu
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

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

Oulu costs about 101% 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 $2,817 per month in Oulu 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 $848 in Oulu.

Kindergarten costs $519 per month in Oulu 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 52% more in Oulu, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,878 in Oulu and $936 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 $936 versus $1,878 in Oulu. 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, Oulu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.