Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Purmerend and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,481 in Purmerend, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

120

Cost of Living Index in Purmerend
Learn more

Purmerend Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Purmerend

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,481

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,481 per month in Purmerend vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Purmerend $2,481
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $3,542 per month in Purmerend vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Purmerend $3,542
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $4,603 per month in Purmerend vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Purmerend $4,603
Chiang Mai $1,999

Purmerend costs about 165% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Purmerend sits 84% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.48 €14.68

$2.13 ฿71.2

673.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.53 €44.12

$18.62 ฿622

166.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 €11.47

$5.60 ฿187

130.00%

Cappuccino

$4.11 €3.66

$1.66 ฿55.5

147.59%

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

$3.58 €3.19

$0.65 ฿21.59

450.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 €2.30

$0.30 ฿10.18

760.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.99 €5.34

$2.32 ฿77.5

158.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 €5.09

$3.67 ฿122

55.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.02 ฿67.3

-32.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.41 ฿47.00

54.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.39 ฿46.46

80.58%

Eggs

$4.85 €4.32

$2.37 ฿79.0

104.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.68 €12.19

$16.52 ฿551

-17.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.71 €12.21

$2.67 ฿89.1

413.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.15 €15.27

$9.02 ฿301

90.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$2.40 ฿80.1

7.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 €2.14

$1.04 ฿34.76

130.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.66 ฿55.4

17.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 €3.80

$1.56 ฿52.0

173.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.24 ฿41.31

44.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.09 ฿36.27

74.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 €1.10

$0.76 ฿25.43

63.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.81

$0.51 ฿17.16

78.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.05 €12.52

$4.12 ฿138

241.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.00 €6.23

$17.93 ฿598

-60.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.62 ฿54.2

-10.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 €2.35

$2.82 ฿94.2

-6.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.59 €3.20

$0.93 ฿31.19

286.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.1 €81.2

$52.9 ฿1,766

72.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.18 €3.72

$1.18 ฿39.28

254.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 €2.40

$0.17 ฿5.72

1488.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.99 €25.82

$1.81 ฿60.5

1501.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.47 ฿49.16

62.59%

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

$40.5K €36.1K

$21.0K ฿701.4K

92.89%

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

$38.6K €34.4K

$26.5K ฿885.1K

45.64%

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

$261 €233

$62.6 ฿2,088

317.41%

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

$22.37 €19.93

$11.60 ฿387

92.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.8 €45.22

$20.30 ฿678

150.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.26 €36.76

$37.88 ฿1,264

8.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.41 €20.85

$3.70 ฿123

532.70%

Cinema Ticket

$15.29 €13.62

$6.51 ฿217

134.87%

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

$2,578 €2,296

$727 ฿24.3K

254.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,039 €7,161

$16.6K ฿553.2K

-51.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.8 €81.8

$53.5 ฿1,787

71.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.92 €39.12

$24.80 ฿828

77.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.6

$90.4 ฿3,017

13.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €122

$72.0 ฿2,402

89.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,441 €1,283

$481 ฿16.1K

199.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,036

$310 ฿10.3K

275.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,340 €2,085

$1,058 ฿35.3K

121.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,842 €1,641

$659 ฿22.0K

179.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,646 €5,029

$2,418 ฿80.7K

133.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,415 €3,933

$1,609 ฿53.7K

174.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,977 €3,543

$595 ฿19.9K

568.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.03

5.57

-27.65%

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

Last update for Purmerend: November 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Purmerend

$1.2K 46.9%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 73.4% $853

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Purmerend

$334 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 71.7% $240

Groceries & Markets

Purmerend

$334 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 29.2% $97

Eating Out

Purmerend

$286 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 73.2% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Purmerend

$169 6.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 35.8% $60

Getting Around

Purmerend

$123 5%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 52.4% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Purmerend

$72 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 29.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,441 in Purmerend 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.

Salaries in Purmerend are about 6.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50 in Purmerend versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $334 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Purmerend

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

12:22 12:22 PM

6 h ahead of Purmerend

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,915

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Purmerend Chiang Mai 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Purmerend
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

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

Purmerend costs about 165% 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 $3,722 per month in Purmerend 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 $481 there versus $1,441 in Purmerend.

Kindergarten costs $2,578 per month in Purmerend 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 41% more in Purmerend, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,481 in Purmerend and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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