Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rennes and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,722 in Rennes, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Rennes
Learn more

Rennes Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Rennes

🇫🇷 France

$1,722

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,722 per month in Rennes vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rennes $1,722
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,694 per month in Rennes vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rennes $2,694
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $3,666 per month in Rennes vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rennes $3,666
Chiang Mai $1,903

Rennes costs about 86% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Rennes sits 27% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.73 €13.10

$2.29 ฿76.5

543.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$19.64 ฿656

247.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.30 €11.83

$5.61 ฿188

137.08%

Cappuccino

$3.53 €3.14

$1.66 ฿55.6

112.65%

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

$2.60 €2.31

$0.70 ฿23.40

271.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.85

$0.31 ฿10.24

570.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.93 €7.06

$2.41 ฿80.4

229.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 €5.08

$3.71 ฿124

53.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.95 ฿65.3

-38.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.41 ฿47.03

40.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 €2.96

$1.31 ฿43.62

154.20%

Eggs

$3.68 €3.28

$2.18 ฿72.9

68.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.15 €15.25

$16.65 ฿556

3.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.44 €11.95

$2.76 ฿92.2

386.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.62 €21.01

$9.11 ฿304

159.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$2.39 ฿80.0

36.82%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.03 ฿34.26

94.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$1.63 ฿54.4

53.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$1.50 ฿50.0

120.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.29 ฿43.13

84.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.11 ฿37.03

29.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.38

$0.72 ฿24.08

115.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$0.53 ฿17.59

69.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.25 €11.78

$4.31 ฿144

207.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.89 €6.13

$17.95 ฿600

-61.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.41 €3.03

$1.58 ฿52.9

115.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 €3.10

$2.84 ฿95.0

22.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.86 ฿28.86

117.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.2 €50.8

$53.3 ฿1,780

7.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.78 €7.81

$1.21 ฿40.29

625.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 €1.08

$0.57 ฿18.99

112.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.98 €29.34

$2.35 ฿78.6

1303.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.44 ฿47.96

49.31%

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

$34.7K €30.9K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

67.41%

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

$37.6K €33.4K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

40.23%

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

$156 €139

$62.3 ฿2,083

150.63%

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

$13.30 €11.83

$12.11 ฿405

9.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.84 €27.43

$19.94 ฿666

54.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.83 €36.31

$37.07 ฿1,239

10.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.48 €11.11

$3.78 ฿126

230.16%

Cinema Ticket

$13.65 €12.14

$6.50 ฿217

110.00%

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

$904 €805

$793 ฿26.5K

14.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,919 €8,823

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-33.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.3 €75.9

$53.7 ฿1,796

58.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 €50.3

$24.62 ฿823

129.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €100.0

$90.9 ฿3,036

23.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 €92.3

$71.1 ฿2,378

45.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 €702

$455 ฿15.2K

73.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 €511

$298 ฿9,954

92.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,361 €1,210

$908 ฿30.4K

49.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 €932

$554 ฿18.5K

89.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,353 €5,651

$1,931 ฿64.5K

229.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,149 €2,801

$1,445 ฿48.3K

118.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,873 €2,555

$591 ฿19.7K

386.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

5.57

-29.80%

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

Last update for Rennes: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rennes

$574 33.4%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 48.1% $276

Groceries & Markets

Rennes

$369 21.4%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 36.2% $134

Eating Out

Rennes

$270 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 70.9% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rennes

$200 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 52.9% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Rennes

$161 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 32.9% $53

Getting Around

Rennes

$79 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 23.5% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Rennes

$68 4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 26.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $789 in Rennes versus $455 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 386% higher in Rennes, 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 $68.0 in Rennes versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $369 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Rennes

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:00 8:00 PM

01:00 1:00 AM

5 h ahead of Rennes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

225,081

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rennes Chiang Mai 9,220 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Rennes
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

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

Rennes costs about 86% 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 $2,584 per month in Rennes and $1,388 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 $904 per month in Rennes and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 57% more in Rennes, 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 $925, than in Rennes at $1,722. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rennes it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,722 in Rennes. 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, Rennes makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.