Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint-Etienne and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,436 in Saint-Etienne, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Etienne
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Saint-Etienne Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Saint-Etienne

🇫🇷 France

$1,436

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,436 per month in Saint-Etienne vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Saint-Etienne $1,436
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,264 per month in Saint-Etienne vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Saint-Etienne $2,264
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,092 per month in Saint-Etienne vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Saint-Etienne $3,092
Chiang Mai $1,979

Saint-Etienne costs about 54% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Saint-Etienne sits 6% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.56 €14.88

$2.24 ฿75.7

639.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.7 €50.9

$19.00 ฿642

198.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.54 €12.16

$5.55 ฿188

143.96%

Cappuccino

$2.07 €1.86

$1.67 ฿56.6

23.95%

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

$3.42 €3.07

$0.64 ฿21.56

434.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 €1.53

$0.31 ฿10.32

448.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.07 €4.55

$2.36 ฿79.6

114.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 €5.16

$3.66 ฿124

57.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.95 ฿65.8

-33.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.44 ฿48.51

-23.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 €1.88

$1.33 ฿45.07

57.14%

Eggs

$3.05 €2.74

$2.28 ฿77.1

33.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.01 €15.28

$16.45 ฿556

3.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.17 €10.04

$2.78 ฿94.0

301.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.35 €14.69

$9.31 ฿314

75.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 €2.94

$2.35 ฿79.5

39.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$0.97 ฿32.82

161.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 €2.20

$1.60 ฿53.9

53.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$1.50 ฿50.7

80.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.28 ฿43.15

22.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.10 ฿37.22

57.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.71 ฿23.84

54.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.07

$0.49 ฿16.38

369.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.15 €10.91

$4.14 ฿140

193.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.14 €9.11

$17.52 ฿592

-42.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.32 €2.99

$1.61 ฿54.5

106.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 €2.93

$2.78 ฿94.0

17.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 €1.62

$0.87 ฿29.33

108.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.87 €35.82

$54.1 ฿1,827

-26.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 €2.54

$1.16 ฿39.08

143.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.89

$1.45 ฿48.93

45.52%

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

$20.1K €18.0K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-4.64%

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

$32.0K €28.7K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

18.70%

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

$164 €148

$62.2 ฿2,100

164.32%

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

$29.01 €26.07

$12.17 ฿411

138.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.04 €17.11

$20.12 ฿680

-5.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.86 €26.83

$37.31 ฿1,260

-19.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.61 €5.94

$3.77 ฿127

75.33%

Cinema Ticket

$9.89 €8.88

$6.49 ฿219

52.39%

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

$996 €895

$736 ฿24.9K

35.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.2K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

7.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 €64.8

$53.4 ฿1,802

35.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.47 €27.38

$24.64 ฿832

23.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$91.5 ฿3,089

12.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 €135

$71.9 ฿2,429

109.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 €463

$482 ฿16.3K

6.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 €332

$309 ฿10.4K

19.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 €785

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-13.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$716 €643

$633 ฿21.4K

13.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,677 €1,506

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-29.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,619 €1,455

$1,589 ฿53.7K

1.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,255 €2,026

$590 ฿19.9K

282.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

5.57

-34.11%

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

Last update for Saint-Etienne: 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

Saint-Etienne

$370 25.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 16.5% $61

Groceries & Markets

Saint-Etienne

$339 23.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 30.8% $104

Eating Out

Saint-Etienne

$255 17.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 69.6% $178

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint-Etienne

$212 14.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 55.5% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Saint-Etienne

$160 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 32.2% $52

Getting Around

Saint-Etienne

$50 * 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 22.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Saint-Etienne

$50 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 1.3% $0.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $515 in Saint-Etienne 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.

Salaries in Saint-Etienne are about 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Saint-Etienne versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $339 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Saint-Etienne

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:07 4:07 PM

22:07 10:07 PM

6 h ahead of Saint-Etienne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,718

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

Saint-Etienne Chiang Mai 8,880 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint-Etienne
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

Saint-Etienne vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint-Etienne costs about 54% 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 $2,154 per month in Saint-Etienne and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $515 in Saint-Etienne and $482 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $996 per month in Saint-Etienne 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 45% more in Saint-Etienne, 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 $1,436 in Saint-Etienne 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.

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