Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rostrenen and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,728 in Rostrenen, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Rostrenen
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Rostrenen Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Rostrenen

🇫🇷 France

$1,728

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,728 per month in Rostrenen vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rostrenen $1,728
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,734 per month in Rostrenen vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rostrenen $2,734
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,740 per month in Rostrenen vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rostrenen $3,740
Chiang Mai $1,979

Rostrenen costs about 85% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Rostrenen sits 27% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.42 €14.75

$2.24 ฿75.7

633.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.5

$19.00 ฿642

248.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.12 €11.79

$5.55 ฿188

136.40%

Cappuccino

$3.69 €3.32

$1.67 ฿56.6

120.96%

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

$3.44 €3.09

$0.64 ฿21.56

437.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$0.31 ฿10.32

590.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.11 €6.38

$2.36 ฿79.6

201.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.12 €5.50

$3.66 ฿124

67.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.15

$1.95 ฿65.8

-34.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.44 ฿48.51

31.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 €2.25

$1.33 ฿45.07

87.97%

Eggs

$4.22 €3.79

$2.28 ฿77.1

85.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.82 €16.00

$16.45 ฿556

8.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.59 €11.31

$2.78 ฿94.0

352.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.55 €19.36

$9.31 ฿314

131.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 €2.75

$2.35 ฿79.5

30.21%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.99

$0.97 ฿32.82

127.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.92 €2.63

$1.60 ฿53.9

82.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.98

$1.50 ฿50.7

121.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.28 ฿43.15

45.31%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.97

$1.10 ฿37.22

99.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.28

$0.71 ฿23.84

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 €0.62

$0.49 ฿16.38

42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.54 €12.16

$4.14 ฿140

227.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.94 €7.13

$17.52 ฿592

-54.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 €2.49

$1.61 ฿54.5

72.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 €3.00

$2.78 ฿94.0

20.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 €1.65

$0.87 ฿29.33

110.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.38 €37.17

$54.1 ฿1,827

-23.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.78 €4.29

$1.16 ฿39.08

312.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.24 €2.01

$0.53 ฿17.82

322.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.69 €27.57

$2.42 ฿81.8

1168.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.45 ฿48.93

44.14%

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

$38.9K €34.9K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

84.55%

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

$38.6K €34.7K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

43.20%

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

$194 €174

$62.2 ฿2,100

211.73%

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

$15.40 €13.84

$12.17 ฿411

26.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.69 €28.47

$20.12 ฿680

57.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.65 €31.12

$37.31 ฿1,260

-7.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$14.46 €12.99

$6.49 ฿219

122.80%

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

$826 €742

$736 ฿24.9K

12.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,522 €8,554

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-35.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.4 €82.1

$53.4 ฿1,802

71.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.01 €36.84

$24.64 ฿832

66.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 €85.6

$91.5 ฿3,089

4.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 €137

$71.9 ฿2,429

111.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$775 €696

$482 ฿16.3K

60.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$546 €490

$309 ฿10.4K

76.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,507 €1,354

$1,006 ฿34.0K

49.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,107 €994

$633 ฿21.4K

74.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,078 €3,664

$2,363 ฿79.8K

72.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,571 €3,208

$1,589 ฿53.7K

124.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

5.57

-31.96%

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

Last update for Rostrenen: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rostrenen

$546 31.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 43.4% $237

Groceries & Markets

Rostrenen

$357 20.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 34.3% $123

Eating Out

Rostrenen

$285 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 72.8% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rostrenen

$241 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 60.8% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Rostrenen

$171 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 36.4% $62

Getting Around

Rostrenen

$65 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 5.2% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Rostrenen

$64 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 20.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $775 in Rostrenen 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 $66 in Rostrenen versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Rostrenen

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:54 5:54 PM

23:54 11:54 PM

6 h ahead of Rostrenen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,200

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Rostrenen Chiang Mai 9,330 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

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

Rostrenen costs about 85% 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 $2,592 per month in Rostrenen 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 $775 in Rostrenen.

Kindergarten costs $826 per month in Rostrenen 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 52% more in Rostrenen, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,728 in Rostrenen and $936 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 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.