Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pau and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,452 in Pau, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Pau
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Pau Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Pau

🇫🇷 France

$1,452

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,452 per month in Pau vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pau $1,452
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,274 per month in Pau vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pau $2,274
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,097 per month in Pau vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pau $3,097
Chiang Mai $1,979

Pau costs about 55% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Pau sits 7% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.79 €15.03

$2.24 ฿75.6

649.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.82 €42.83

$19.00 ฿641

151.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.37 €10.18

$5.55 ฿187

104.86%

Cappuccino

$3.83 €3.43

$1.67 ฿56.5

129.34%

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

$2.65 €2.37

$0.64 ฿21.54

314.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 €1.41

$0.31 ฿10.31

406.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.75 €5.15

$2.36 ฿79.5

143.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 €3.44

$3.66 ฿124

5.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.95 ฿65.7

-41.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.44 ฿48.46

56.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 €1.40

$1.33 ฿45.03

17.29%

Eggs

$5.57 €4.99

$2.28 ฿77.1

144.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.77 €18.60

$16.45 ฿555

26.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.81 €10.58

$2.78 ฿93.9

324.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.35 €21.81

$9.31 ฿314

161.55%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 €3.35

$2.35 ฿79.4

59.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 €1.94

$0.97 ฿32.79

123.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.06 €1.85

$1.60 ฿53.9

28.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 €2.88

$1.50 ฿50.6

114.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.28 ฿43.11

34.37%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.10 ฿37.18

100.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 €1.12

$0.71 ฿23.82

76.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 €0.61

$0.49 ฿16.36

38.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.75 €11.42

$4.14 ฿140

207.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.02 €8.97

$17.52 ฿591

-42.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.45 €3.99

$1.61 ฿54.5

176.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 €5.06

$2.78 ฿93.9

103.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.87 ฿29.30

56.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.00 €30.45

$54.1 ฿1,825

-37.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.82

$1.45 ฿48.88

40.00%

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

$34.0K €30.5K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

61.57%

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

$36.5K €32.7K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

35.34%

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

$86.0 €77.0

$62.2 ฿2,098

38.28%

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

$30.75 €27.54

$12.17 ฿411

152.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.92 €29.48

$20.12 ฿679

63.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.89 €37.51

$37.31 ฿1,259

12.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$12.09 €10.83

$6.49 ฿219

86.29%

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

$394 €353

$736 ฿24.8K

-46.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,474 €4,007

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-69.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$111 €99.1

$53.4 ฿1,801

107.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.19 €30.62

$24.64 ฿831

38.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.2 €80.8

$91.5 ฿3,087

-1.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.0 €80.6

$71.9 ฿2,427

25.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 €663

$482 ฿16.3K

53.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 €352

$309 ฿10.4K

27.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,076 €964

$1,006 ฿33.9K

7.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 €618

$633 ฿21.4K

9.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,478 €2,219

$2,363 ฿79.7K

4.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,000 €1,792

$1,589 ฿53.6K

25.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,074 €2,753

$590 ฿19.9K

421.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

5.57

-31.60%

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

Last update for Pau: 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

Pau

$394 27.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 21.5% $85

Groceries & Markets

Pau

$389 26.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 39.8% $155

Eating Out

Pau

$268 18.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 71% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pau

$150 10.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 36.9% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Pau

$146 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 25.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Pau

$66 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 23.9% $16

Getting Around

Pau

$39 * 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 55.7% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $740 in Pau 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 Pau are about 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Pau versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $389 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Pau

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:30 6:30 AM

12:30 12:30 PM

6 h ahead of Pau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,066

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

On the map

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Between locations

Pau Chiang Mai 9,310 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Pau
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

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

Pau costs about 55% 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 $2,178 per month in Pau 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 $740 in Pau.

Kindergarten costs $394 per month in Pau 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 66% more in Pau, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,452 in Pau 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 $1,452 in Pau. 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, Pau makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.