Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Penafiel and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,518 in Penafiel, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

73

Cost of Living Index in Penafiel
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Penafiel Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Penafiel

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,518

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,518 per month in Penafiel vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Penafiel $1,518
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,219 per month in Penafiel vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Penafiel $2,219
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,920 per month in Penafiel vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Penafiel $2,920
Chiang Mai $1,903

Penafiel costs about 64% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Penafiel sits 12% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.13 €9.01

$2.29 ฿76.5

342.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.02 €40.05

$19.64 ฿656

129.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.10 €8.09

$5.61 ฿188

62.21%

Cappuccino

$1.37 €1.22

$1.66 ฿55.6

-17.47%

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

$1.53 €1.36

$0.70 ฿23.40

118.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.61

$0.31 ฿10.24

122.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 €2.17

$2.41 ฿80.4

0.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 €2.46

$3.71 ฿124

-25.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.95 ฿65.3

-46.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.41 ฿47.03

-22.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.31 ฿43.62

6.87%

Eggs

$2.93 €2.61

$2.18 ฿72.9

34.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.39 €9.24

$16.65 ฿556

-37.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.95 €6.18

$2.76 ฿92.2

151.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.50 €12.90

$9.11 ฿304

59.17%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.39 ฿80.0

-17.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.03 ฿34.26

36.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.63 ฿54.4

25.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.86

$1.50 ฿50.0

40.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.29 ฿43.13

-35.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.11 ฿37.03

29.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.72 ฿24.08

58.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.67

$0.53 ฿17.59

43.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.95 €5.29

$4.31 ฿144

38.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.17 €3.71

$17.95 ฿600

-76.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.58 ฿52.9

-17.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 €2.84

$2.84 ฿95.0

12.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.07 €4.51

$0.86 ฿28.86

489.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.02 €39.16

$53.3 ฿1,780

-17.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 €3.97

$1.21 ฿40.29

268.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.57 ฿18.99

152.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.87 €18.57

$2.35 ฿78.6

788.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.44 ฿47.96

43.75%

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

$33.1K €29.5K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

59.78%

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

$38.4K €34.1K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

43.17%

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

$106 €94.1

$62.3 ฿2,083

69.77%

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

$17.55 €15.61

$12.11 ฿405

44.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.46 €25.32

$19.94 ฿666

42.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.02 €24.93

$37.07 ฿1,239

-24.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$4.40 €3.91

$6.50 ฿217

-32.31%

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

$461 €410

$793 ฿26.5K

-41.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,307 €5,610

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-57.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$115 €103

$53.7 ฿1,796

114.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.64 €31.71

$24.62 ฿823

44.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 €64.5

$90.9 ฿3,036

-20.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.7

$71.1 ฿2,378

49.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$853 €759

$455 ฿15.2K

87.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$728 €648

$298 ฿9,954

144.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,307 €1,163

$908 ฿30.4K

43.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,120 €996

$554 ฿18.5K

102.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,251 €2,002

$1,931 ฿64.5K

16.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,159 €1,921

$1,445 ฿48.3K

49.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,246 €1,108

$591 ฿19.7K

110.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.7

5.57

-33.57%

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

Last update for Penafiel: 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

Penafiel

$728 48%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 59.1% $430

Groceries & Markets

Penafiel

$225 14.9%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 4.5% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Penafiel

$152 10%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 37.8% $57

Eating Out

Penafiel

$151 10%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 48.1% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Penafiel

$148 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 27.1% $40

Getting Around

Penafiel

$76 5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 20% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Penafiel

$37 2.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 36% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $853 in Penafiel 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 111% higher in Penafiel, 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 $45.00 in Penafiel versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Penafiel vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Penafiel wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Penafiel

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:31 7:31 PM

01:31 1:31 AM

6 h ahead of Penafiel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

69,630

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

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Penafiel Chiang Mai 10,000 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

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Penafiel
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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

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

Penafiel costs about 64% 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 $2,277 per month in Penafiel 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 $461 per month in Penafiel and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Penafiel – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Penafiel at $1,518. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Penafiel it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,518 in Penafiel. 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, Penafiel makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.