Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Protaras and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,021 in Protaras, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Protaras
Learn more

Protaras Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Protaras

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$2,021

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,021 per month in Protaras vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Protaras $2,021
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,018 per month in Protaras vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Protaras $3,018
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,015 per month in Protaras vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Protaras $4,015
Chiang Mai $1,979

Protaras costs about 116% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Protaras sits 49% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.36 €20.03

$2.24 ฿75.6

898.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.9 €69.7

$19.00 ฿641

309.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.13 €8.18

$5.55 ฿187

64.50%

Cappuccino

$3.85 €3.45

$1.67 ฿56.5

130.54%

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

$1.92 €1.72

$0.64 ฿21.54

200.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.13

$0.31 ฿10.31

306.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.17 €4.63

$2.36 ฿79.5

119.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.48 €4.90

$3.66 ฿124

49.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.78

$1.95 ฿65.7

2.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 €2.22

$1.44 ฿48.46

71.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 €2.70

$1.33 ฿45.03

126.32%

Eggs

$4.63 €4.15

$2.28 ฿77.1

103.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.37 €11.98

$16.45 ฿555

-18.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.72 €8.71

$2.78 ฿93.9

249.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.71 €12.28

$9.31 ฿314

47.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.50 €3.14

$2.35 ฿79.4

48.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 €2.11

$0.97 ฿32.79

143.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.63

$1.60 ฿53.9

83.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.79 €3.39

$1.50 ฿50.6

152.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 €1.80

$1.28 ฿43.11

57.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 €1.44

$1.10 ฿37.18

46.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.15

$0.71 ฿23.82

80.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.49 ฿16.36

118.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.59 €5.90

$4.14 ฿140

59.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.76 €7.85

$17.52 ฿591

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.68

$1.61 ฿54.5

16.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 €2.56

$2.78 ฿93.9

2.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.23 €2.00

$0.87 ฿29.30

156.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.4 €48.73

$54.1 ฿1,825

0.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.98 €8.94

$1.16 ฿39.04

760.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 €2.06

$0.53 ฿17.80

333.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.09 €19.78

$2.42 ฿81.7

812.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.45 ฿48.88

17.93%

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

$30.9K €27.7K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

46.90%

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

$31.2K €27.9K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

15.70%

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

$241 €215

$62.2 ฿2,098

287.02%

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

$20.38 €18.25

$12.17 ฿411

67.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.60 €29.20

$20.12 ฿679

62.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 €69.2

$37.31 ฿1,259

107.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.75 €19.48

$3.77 ฿127

476.92%

Cinema Ticket

$13.33 €11.94

$6.49 ฿219

105.39%

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

$687 €616

$736 ฿24.8K

-6.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K €9,432

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-28.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.0 €86.9

$53.4 ฿1,801

81.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 €45.84

$24.64 ฿831

107.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.7

$91.5 ฿3,087

20.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €105

$71.9 ฿2,427

62.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$720 €645

$482 ฿16.3K

49.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$741 €664

$309 ฿10.4K

139.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,648 €1,476

$1,006 ฿33.9K

63.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,144 €1,025

$633 ฿21.4K

80.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,454 €3,093

$2,363 ฿79.7K

46.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,202 €1,972

$1,589 ฿53.6K

38.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.93

5.57

-29.44%

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

Last update for Protaras: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Protaras

$741 36.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 58.3% $432

Groceries & Markets

Protaras

$327 16.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 28.4% $93

Eating Out

Protaras

$302 14.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 74.3% $224

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Protaras

$294 14.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 67.8% $199

Clothing & Footwear

Protaras

$169 8.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 35.6% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Protaras

$104 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 51.6% $54

Getting Around

Protaras

$85 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 27.6% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $720 in Protaras 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Protaras versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇾 Protaras

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

07:31 7:31 AM

5 h ahead of Protaras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,230

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Protaras Chiang Mai 6,570 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Protaras
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

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

Protaras costs about 116% 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 $3,032 per month in Protaras 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 $720 in Protaras.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Protaras and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Protaras, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,021 in Protaras 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 $2,021 in Protaras. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.