Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saku and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,107 in Saku, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Saku despite lower rent and utilities.

53

Cost of Living Index in Saku
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Saku Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Saku

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,107

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,107 per month in Saku vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Saku $1,107
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,722 per month in Saku vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Saku $1,722
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,338 per month in Saku vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Saku $2,338
Chiang Mai $1,979

Saku costs about 18% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Saku and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Saku 19% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.03 €15.21

$2.24 ฿75.5

660.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.1 €61.7

$19.00 ฿640

263.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 €9.98

$5.55 ฿187

101.26%

Cappuccino

$4.01 €3.58

$1.67 ฿56.4

140.12%

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

$2.14 €1.91

$0.64 ฿21.51

234.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.10

$0.31 ฿10.29

658.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 €5.88

$2.36 ฿79.5

178.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.79 €6.07

$3.66 ฿123

85.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.95 ฿65.7

-42.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.44 ฿48.41

-3.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.33 ฿44.97

72.93%

Eggs

$2.99 €2.67

$2.28 ฿77.0

31.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.96 €9.79

$16.45 ฿554

-33.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.61 €7.69

$2.78 ฿93.8

209.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.01 €13.40

$9.31 ฿314

61.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$2.35 ฿79.3

-12.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 €1.24

$0.97 ฿32.75

42.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 €2.16

$1.60 ฿53.8

51.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.96 €2.65

$1.50 ฿50.6

97.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 €0.73

$1.28 ฿43.06

-35.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.10 ฿37.14

-30.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 €1.67

$0.71 ฿23.79

163.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$0.49 ฿16.34

108.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.92 €6.18

$4.14 ฿140

67.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.90 €8.84

$17.52 ฿590

-43.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.61 ฿54.4

21.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 €1.90

$2.78 ฿93.8

-23.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 €3.17

$1.16 ฿39.00

206.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 €0.91

$0.53 ฿17.78

92.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.12 €23.33

$2.42 ฿81.6

979.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.45 ฿48.82

32.41%

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

$27.4K €24.5K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

30.09%

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

$30.1K €26.8K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

11.54%

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

$307 €274

$62.2 ฿2,095

393.45%

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

$17.53 €15.66

$12.17 ฿410

44.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.55 €29.07

$20.12 ฿678

61.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$11.43 €10.21

$6.49 ฿219

76.12%

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

$465 €415

$736 ฿24.8K

-36.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K €9,002

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-31.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.1

$53.4 ฿1,799

91.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.00 €42.87

$24.64 ฿830

94.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$91.5 ฿3,083

14.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$71.9 ฿2,424

65.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,074 €3,638

$2,363 ฿79.6K

72.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,730 €2,439

$1,589 ฿53.6K

71.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,809 €1,616

$590 ฿19.9K

206.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.44

5.57

-38.24%

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

Last update for Saku: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saku

$357 32.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 73.5% $262

Eating Out

Saku

$282 25.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 72.5% $205

Groceries & Markets

Saku

$268 24.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 12.5% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Saku

$168 15.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 35.5% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Saku

$23 * 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 120% $27

Getting Around

Saku

$8.7 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 608% $53

Accommodation & Living

Saku

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Saku are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Saku versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇪 Saku

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:27 5:27 AM

10:27 10:27 AM

5 h ahead of Saku

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,548

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Saku Chiang Mai 7,330 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Saku
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

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

Saku costs about 18% 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 $1,660 per month in Saku and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Saku and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Saku, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,107 in Saku and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,107 in Saku. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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