Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Permet and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,188 in Permet, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Permet
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Permet Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Permet

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,188

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,188 per month in Permet vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Permet $1,188
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,846 per month in Permet vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Permet $1,846
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,504 per month in Permet vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Permet $2,504
Chiang Mai $1,999

Permet costs about 27% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Permet and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Permet 12% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.85 ALL 793

$2.13 ฿71.4

362.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 ALL 4,453

$18.62 ฿623

196.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.05 ALL 890

$5.60 ฿187

97.32%

Cappuccino

$2.28 ALL 184

$1.66 ฿55.6

37.35%

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

$2.44 ALL 196

$0.65 ฿21.63

275.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 ALL 102

$0.30 ฿10.20

320.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.51 ALL 282

$2.32 ฿77.7

51.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.11 ALL 331

$3.67 ฿123

11.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ALL 175

$2.02 ฿67.4

7.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 ALL 97.1

$1.41 ฿47.08

-14.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 ALL 189

$1.39 ฿46.54

68.35%

Eggs

$3.72 ALL 299

$2.37 ฿79.2

56.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 ALL 1,021

$16.52 ฿552

-23.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.30 ALL 749

$2.67 ฿89.3

248.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.19 ALL 1,385

$9.02 ฿302

90.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 ALL 154

$2.40 ฿80.2

-20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 ALL 196

$1.04 ฿34.82

133.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 ALL 174

$1.66 ฿55.5

30.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 ALL 147

$1.56 ฿52.1

16.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 ALL 85.8

$1.24 ฿41.39

-13.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ALL 101

$1.09 ฿36.34

15.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 ALL 118

$0.76 ฿25.47

92.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ALL 59.0

$0.51 ฿17.19

43.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.81 ALL 387

$4.12 ฿138

16.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.30 ALL 830

$17.93 ฿600

-42.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ALL 132

$1.62 ฿54.3

1.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ALL 170

$2.82 ฿94.4

-25.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 ALL 38.36

$0.93 ฿31.25

-48.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.98 ALL 1,610

$52.9 ฿1,769

-62.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.78 ALL 305

$1.18 ฿39.35

220.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.68 ALL 297

$0.17 ฿5.73

2064.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.68 ALL 1,505

$1.81 ฿60.6

932.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 ALL 187

$1.47 ฿49.25

57.82%

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

$33.6K ALL 2.7M

$21.0K ฿702.6K

59.71%

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

$29.8K ALL 2.4M

$26.5K ฿886.7K

12.34%

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

$99.0 ALL 7,977

$62.6 ฿2,092

58.28%

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

$18.47 ALL 1,488

$11.60 ฿388

59.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.61 ALL 1,580

$20.30 ฿679

-3.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.2 ALL 4,691

$37.88 ฿1,267

53.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 ALL 806

$6.51 ฿218

53.61%

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

$341 ALL 27.5K

$727 ฿24.3K

-53.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,151 ALL 656.6K

$16.6K ฿554.2K

-50.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.19 ALL 3,963

$53.5 ฿1,790

-8.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.58 ALL 3,914

$24.80 ฿829

95.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 ALL 9,553

$90.4 ฿3,023

31.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 ALL 8,993

$72.0 ฿2,407

55.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$487 ALL 39.2K

$481 ฿16.1K

1.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$312 ALL 25.1K

$310 ฿10.4K

0.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$703 ALL 56.6K

$1,058 ฿35.4K

-33.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$466 ALL 37.5K

$659 ฿22.0K

-29.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,991 ALL 160.4K

$2,418 ฿80.8K

-17.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,315 ALL 105.9K

$1,609 ฿53.8K

-18.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.16

5.57

-7.36%

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

Last update for Permet: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Permet

$312 26.2%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 0.6% $1.9

Groceries & Markets

Permet

$289 24.4%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 18.2% $53

Eating Out

Permet

$180 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 57.4% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Permet

$148 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 26.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Permet

$137 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 31.1% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Permet

$78 6.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 34.9% $27

Getting Around

Permet

$44 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 33% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $487 in Permet versus $481 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $55 in Permet versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $289 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Permet

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:20 4:20 AM

10:20 10:20 AM

6 h ahead of Permet

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.11 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇱 Albanian Lek (L)

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 80.56 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.44 ALL (100 ALL = 1.11 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ALL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Permet Chiang Mai 7,730 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Permet
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

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

Permet costs about 27% 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 $1,782 per month in Permet and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $487 in Permet and $481 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $341 per month in Permet and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Permet, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,188 in Permet and $935 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,188 in Permet. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.