Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pogradec and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Pogradec: $820 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

39

Cost of Living Index in Pogradec
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Pogradec Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Pogradec

🇦🇱 Albania

$820

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $820 per month in Pogradec vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pogradec $820
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,353 per month in Pogradec vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pogradec $1,353
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,887 per month in Pogradec vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Pogradec $1,887
Chiang Mai $1,979

Pogradec is about 12% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Pogradec and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Pogradec 40% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.62 ALL 781

$2.24 ฿75.6

329.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.12 ALL 3,177

$19.00 ฿641

105.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.30 ALL 593

$5.55 ฿187

31.53%

Cappuccino

$1.58 ALL 129

$1.67 ฿56.5

-5.39%

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

$1.81 ALL 147

$0.64 ฿21.54

182.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 ALL 55.6

$0.31 ฿10.31

119.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.49 ALL 121

$2.36 ฿79.5

-36.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 ALL 216

$3.66 ฿124

-27.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 ALL 160

$1.95 ฿65.7

1.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 ALL 73.8

$1.44 ฿48.46

-36.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 ALL 167

$1.33 ฿45.03

54.14%

Eggs

$2.28 ALL 186

$2.28 ฿77.1

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 ALL 665

$16.45 ฿555

-50.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.36 ALL 354

$2.78 ฿93.9

56.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 ALL 1,166

$9.31 ฿314

54.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.27 ALL 103

$2.35 ฿79.4

-45.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 ALL 191

$0.97 ฿32.79

142.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 ALL 122

$1.60 ฿53.9

-6.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ALL 102

$1.50 ฿50.6

-16.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 ALL 79.0

$1.28 ฿43.11

-24.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 ALL 83.1

$1.10 ฿37.18

-7.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 ALL 82.6

$0.71 ฿23.82

43.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 ALL 68.4

$0.49 ฿16.36

71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.28 ALL 348

$4.14 ฿140

3.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.80 ALL 634

$17.52 ฿591

-55.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 ALL 102

$1.61 ฿54.5

-22.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ALL 148

$2.78 ฿93.9

-34.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 ALL 41.08

$0.87 ฿29.30

-41.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.76 ALL 1,524

$54.1 ฿1,825

-65.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 ALL 296

$1.16 ฿39.04

213.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.86 ALL 151

$0.53 ฿17.80

250.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.50 ALL 1,503

$2.42 ฿81.7

664.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 ALL 185

$1.45 ฿48.88

57.24%

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

$33.1K ALL 2.7M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

57.03%

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

$24.3K ALL 2.0M

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-9.75%

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

$61.3 ALL 4,976

$62.2 ฿2,098

-1.45%

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

$16.66 ALL 1,353

$12.17 ฿411

36.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.47 ALL 1,419

$20.12 ฿679

-13.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.29 ALL 2,947

$37.31 ฿1,259

-2.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.73 ALL 1,521

$3.77 ฿127

396.82%

Cinema Ticket

$8.62 ALL 700

$6.49 ฿219

32.82%

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

$99.8 ALL 8,105

$736 ฿24.8K

-86.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.22 ALL 3,998

$53.4 ฿1,801

-7.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 ALL 4,549

$24.64 ฿831

127.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 ALL 7,871

$91.5 ฿3,087

5.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 ALL 12.1K

$71.9 ฿2,427

107.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$185 ALL 15.1K

$482 ฿16.3K

-61.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$126 ALL 10.2K

$309 ฿10.4K

-59.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$366 ALL 29.7K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-63.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 ALL 20.4K

$633 ฿21.4K

-60.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,626 ALL 132.1K

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-31.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,499 ALL 121.8K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-5.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$478 ALL 38.9K

$590 ฿19.9K

-18.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-10.23%

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

Last update for Pogradec: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pogradec

$213 26%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 10.1% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Pogradec

$158 19.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 31.3% $49

Eating Out

Pogradec

$141 17.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 44.8% $63

Accommodation & Living

Pogradec

$126 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 146% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pogradec

$95 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 1% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Pogradec

$54 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 6.1% $3.3

Getting Around

Pogradec

$34 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 81.9% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $185 in Pogradec 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 run about 23% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Pogradec versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $213 in Pogradec vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Pogradec wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Pogradec

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:37 9:37 PM

03:37 3:37 AM

6 h ahead of Pogradec

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,848

127,240

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 81.22 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 90.69 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to ALL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pogradec Chiang Mai 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Pogradec
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 14% more than Pogradec, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,230 per month in Pogradec 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 Pogradec, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $185 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $100 per month in Pogradec 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 10% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $820 in Pogradec and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Pogradec – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Pogradec. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.