Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plzen and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,758 in Plzen, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Plzen
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Plzen Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Plzen

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,758

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,758 per month in Plzen vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Plzen $1,758
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,442 per month in Plzen vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Plzen $2,442
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,126 per month in Plzen vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Plzen $3,126
Chiang Mai $1,914

Plzen costs about 87% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Plzen sits 30% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.55 Kč 250

$2.26 ฿75.4

411.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.1 Kč 1,084

$19.18 ฿641

161.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.94 Kč 193

$5.59 ฿187

59.93%

Cappuccino

$3.03 Kč 65.5

$1.72 ฿57.6

76.16%

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

$1.99 Kč 42.93

$0.64 ฿21.54

210.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Kč 38.52

$0.33 ฿11.18

439.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 Kč 58.7

$2.36 ฿78.7

14.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 Kč 60.5

$3.90 ฿130

-28.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Kč 24.43

$2.05 ฿68.6

-44.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 Kč 34.43

$1.40 ฿46.70

13.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 Kč 64.3

$1.28 ฿42.89

132.81%

Eggs

$3.84 Kč 83.0

$2.25 ฿75.3

70.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.58 Kč 294

$16.94 ฿566

-19.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.06 Kč 218

$2.74 ฿91.6

267.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.19 Kč 350

$9.36 ฿313

72.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 Kč 47.23

$2.40 ฿80.3

-9.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 Kč 40.22

$1.01 ฿33.92

84.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 Kč 47.39

$1.61 ฿53.9

36.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.54 Kč 76.7

$1.52 ฿50.7

132.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 Kč 26.13

$1.28 ฿42.90

-5.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 Kč 26.15

$1.11 ฿37.22

9.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 Kč 35.32

$0.72 ฿24.09

126.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 Kč 16.54

$0.52 ฿17.54

46.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.90 Kč 149

$4.33 ฿145

59.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.70 Kč 145

$17.73 ฿593

-62.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 Kč 30.31

$1.63 ฿54.4

-14.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 Kč 37.31

$2.85 ฿95.3

-39.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.29 Kč 27.91

$0.85 ฿28.31

51.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.05 Kč 585

$53.9 ฿1,801

-49.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 Kč 45.54

$1.17 ฿39.18

80.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 Kč 29.94

$0.57 ฿19.00

142.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.80 Kč 298

$2.37 ฿79.2

482.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 Kč 40.39

$1.45 ฿48.32

28.97%

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

$30.2K Kč 652.8K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

47.43%

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

$29.4K Kč 635.7K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

10.87%

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

$276 Kč 5,973

$62.3 ฿2,083

343.09%

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

$17.19 Kč 372

$12.27 ฿410

40.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.98 Kč 346

$19.97 ฿668

-19.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.5 Kč 1,286

$37.91 ฿1,267

56.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.43 Kč 312

$3.76 ฿126

283.78%

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 Kč 244

$6.71 ฿224

68.26%

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

$331 Kč 7,165

$797 ฿26.6K

-58.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K Kč 236.1K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-26.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.9 Kč 1,706

$53.3 ฿1,780

48.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.82 Kč 926

$25.05 ฿837

70.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.1 Kč 1,863

$91.6 ฿3,062

-5.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 Kč 2,371

$73.5 ฿2,455

49.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$720 Kč 15.6K

$464 ฿15.5K

55.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$704 Kč 15.2K

$305 ฿10.2K

131.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$928 Kč 20.1K

$915 ฿30.6K

1.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$908 Kč 19.6K

$552 ฿18.5K

64.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,061 Kč 109.5K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

164.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,070 Kč 88.0K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

183.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,905 Kč 41.2K

$595 ฿19.9K

220.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.8

5.57

-13.82%

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

Last update for Plzen: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plzen

$704 40.1%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 56.8% $400

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plzen

$309 17.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 69.4% $215

Groceries & Markets

Plzen

$288 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 17.4% $50

Eating Out

Plzen

$190 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 58.4% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Plzen

$143 8.1%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 23.3% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Plzen

$82 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 37.4% $31

Getting Around

Plzen

$41 2.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 48.7% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $720 in Plzen versus $464 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 220% higher in Plzen, 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 $50.0 in Plzen versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇿 Plzen

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:52 5:52 PM

22:52 10:52 PM

5 h ahead of Plzen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,951

127,240

💱 Currency

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 CZK = 4.62 USD

100 CZK = 4.11 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CZK – Czech Koruna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇿 Czech Koruna (Kč)

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 21.63 CZK (100 CZK = 4.62 USD). 1 EUR = 24.31 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CZK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Plzen Chiang Mai 8,120 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Plzen
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

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

Plzen costs about 87% 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 $2,637 per month in Plzen and $1,408 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 $331 per month in Plzen and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Plzen, 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 $938, than in Plzen at $1,758. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Plzen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,758 in Plzen. 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, Plzen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.