Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Royan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,832 in Royan, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Royan
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Royan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Royan

🇫🇷 France

$1,832

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,832 per month in Royan vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Royan $1,832
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,867 per month in Royan vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Royan $2,867
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,902 per month in Royan vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Royan $3,902
Chiang Mai $1,979

Royan costs about 96% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Royan sits 35% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.17 €19.92

$2.24 ฿75.7

889.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 €60.4

$19.00 ฿642

253.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.72 €12.33

$5.55 ฿188

147.21%

Cappuccino

$3.67 €3.30

$1.67 ฿56.6

119.76%

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

$2.85 €2.56

$0.64 ฿21.56

345.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.19

$0.31 ฿10.32

325.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.20 €6.47

$2.36 ฿79.6

205.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 €4.06

$3.66 ฿124

23.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 €1.25

$1.95 ฿65.8

-28.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 €1.66

$1.44 ฿48.51

27.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 €1.78

$1.33 ฿45.07

48.87%

Eggs

$4.84 €4.35

$2.28 ฿77.1

112.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.24 €21.78

$16.45 ฿556

47.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.71 €10.52

$2.78 ฿94.0

321.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.54 €15.76

$9.31 ฿314

88.40%

Apples (1kg)

$4.17 €3.75

$2.35 ฿79.5

77.45%

Banana (1kg)

$3.71 €3.33

$0.97 ฿32.82

282.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 €2.47

$1.60 ฿53.9

71.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.09 €4.57

$1.50 ฿50.7

239.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.28 ฿43.15

44.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.10 ฿37.22

72.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 €1.54

$0.71 ฿23.84

140.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 €0.33

$0.49 ฿16.38

-24.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.51 €13.04

$4.14 ฿140

250.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.78 €11.48

$17.52 ฿592

-27.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 €2.06

$1.61 ฿54.5

42.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.14

$2.78 ฿94.0

-14.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 €1.54

$0.87 ฿29.33

97.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.93 €42.17

$54.1 ฿1,827

-13.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 €4.52

$1.16 ฿39.08

333.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.83 €1.64

$0.53 ฿17.82

245.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.97 €29.63

$2.42 ฿81.8

1262.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.89

$1.45 ฿48.93

44.83%

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

$35.9K €32.2K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

70.33%

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

$38.1K €34.2K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

41.42%

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

$137 €123

$62.2 ฿2,100

120.56%

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

$13.53 €12.16

$12.17 ฿411

11.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.47 €31.87

$20.12 ฿680

76.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.83 €29.49

$37.31 ฿1,260

-12.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$10.01 €9.00

$6.49 ฿219

54.24%

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

$848 €762

$736 ฿24.9K

15.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K €9,298

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-29.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.8

$53.4 ฿1,802

103.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.83 €35.79

$24.64 ฿832

61.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.7

$91.5 ฿3,089

20.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 €134

$71.9 ฿2,429

106.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 €684

$482 ฿16.3K

57.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 €568

$309 ฿10.4K

104.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 €1,310

$1,006 ฿34.0K

44.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,149 €1,033

$633 ฿21.4K

81.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,096 €3,680

$2,363 ฿79.8K

73.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,932 €2,634

$1,589 ฿53.7K

84.50%

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 Royan: 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

Royan

$632 34.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 51.1% $323

Groceries & Markets

Royan

$385 21%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 39.2% $151

Eating Out

Royan

$324 17.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 76.1% $247

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Royan

$186 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 49.2% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Royan

$183 10%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 40.7% $75

Getting Around

Royan

$68 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 9.7% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Royan

$53 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 4.9% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $761 in Royan 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 $67 in Royan versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $385 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Royan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:57 11:57 AM

17:57 5:57 PM

6 h ahead of Royan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,029

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

On the map

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Between locations

Royan Chiang Mai 9,270 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Royan
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

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

Royan costs about 96% 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 $2,748 per month in Royan 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 $761 in Royan.

Kindergarten costs $848 per month in Royan 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 64% more in Royan, 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 $1,832 in Royan 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.