Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rueil-Malmaison and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,778 in Rueil-Malmaison, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Rueil-Malmaison
Learn more

Rueil-Malmaison Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Rueil-Malmaison

🇫🇷 France

$1,778

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,778 per month in Rueil-Malmaison vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rueil-Malmaison $1,778
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,710 per month in Rueil-Malmaison vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rueil-Malmaison $2,710
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $3,641 per month in Rueil-Malmaison vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rueil-Malmaison $3,641
Chiang Mai $1,903

Rueil-Malmaison costs about 92% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Rueil-Malmaison sits 31% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.01 €15.13

$2.29 ฿76.5

642.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.25 €40.25

$19.64 ฿656

130.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.77 €6.91

$5.61 ฿188

38.50%

Cappuccino

$1.68 €1.50

$1.66 ฿55.6

1.20%

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

$3.05 €2.71

$0.70 ฿23.40

335.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.83

$0.31 ฿10.24

564.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.46 €7.53

$2.41 ฿80.4

251.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.89

$3.71 ฿124

-12.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.14

$1.95 ฿65.3

-33.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.41 ฿47.03

24.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.31 ฿43.62

87.79%

Eggs

$3.91 €3.48

$2.18 ฿72.9

79.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.11 €8.99

$16.65 ฿556

-39.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.77 €10.47

$2.76 ฿92.2

326.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.79 €14.05

$9.11 ฿304

73.33%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 €2.67

$2.39 ฿80.0

25.52%

Banana (1kg)

$3.07 €2.73

$1.03 ฿34.26

198.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.63 ฿54.4

-7.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 €3.74

$1.50 ฿50.0

180.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.29 ฿43.13

44.19%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.11 ฿37.03

89.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 €1.46

$0.72 ฿24.08

127.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.14 €0.12

$0.53 ฿17.59

-73.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.69 €11.29

$4.31 ฿144

194.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.73 €5.10

$17.95 ฿600

-68.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.58 ฿52.9

-10.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.43

$2.84 ฿95.0

-43.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 €1.70

$0.86 ฿28.86

122.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.0 €87.2

$53.3 ฿1,780

84.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.21 ฿40.29

84.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.12 €1.00

$0.57 ฿18.99

96.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.32 €28.75

$2.35 ฿78.6

1275.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.44 ฿47.96

49.31%

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

$34.6K €30.8K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

66.83%

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

$30.2K €26.9K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

12.68%

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

$206 €183

$62.3 ฿2,083

229.76%

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

$32.00 €28.46

$12.11 ฿405

164.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.80 €28.28

$19.94 ฿666

59.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.12 €31.24

$37.07 ฿1,239

-5.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.74 €20.22

$3.78 ฿126

501.59%

Cinema Ticket

$15.92 €14.16

$6.50 ฿217

144.92%

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

$894 €795

$793 ฿26.5K

12.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K €10.1K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-23.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$127 €113

$53.7 ฿1,796

136.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.99 €40.91

$24.62 ฿823

86.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 €87.9

$90.9 ฿3,036

8.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 €142

$71.1 ฿2,378

123.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,051 €935

$455 ฿15.2K

130.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$592 €527

$298 ฿9,954

98.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,405 €1,250

$908 ฿30.4K

54.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 €976

$554 ฿18.5K

98.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,654 €5,919

$1,931 ฿64.5K

244.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,025 €2,691

$1,445 ฿48.3K

109.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,226 €2,869

$591 ฿19.7K

445.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

5.57

-29.98%

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

Last update for Rueil-Malmaison: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rueil-Malmaison

$592 33.3%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 49.7% $295

Groceries & Markets

Rueil-Malmaison

$293 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 19.6% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rueil-Malmaison

$269 15.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 65% $175

Eating Out

Rueil-Malmaison

$249 14%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 68.4% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Rueil-Malmaison

$194 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 44.3% $86

Getting Around

Rueil-Malmaison

$114 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 46.5% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Rueil-Malmaison

$67 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 25.3% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,051 in Rueil-Malmaison 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 446% higher in Rueil-Malmaison, 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 $45.00 in Rueil-Malmaison versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $293 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Rueil-Malmaison

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

13:01 1:01 PM

5 h ahead of Rueil-Malmaison

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,186

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

Rueil-Malmaison Chiang Mai 8,930 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Rueil-Malmaison
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

Rueil-Malmaison vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rueil-Malmaison costs about 92% 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 $2,667 per month in Rueil-Malmaison 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 $894 per month in Rueil-Malmaison 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 24% more in Rueil-Malmaison, 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 Rueil-Malmaison at $1,778. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rueil-Malmaison it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,778 in Rueil-Malmaison. 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, Rueil-Malmaison makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.