Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samos and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,411 in Samos, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Samos
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Samos Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Samos

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,411

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,411 per month in Samos vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Samos $1,411
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,081 per month in Samos vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Samos $2,081
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,751 per month in Samos vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Samos $2,751
Chiang Mai $1,903

Samos costs about 53% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Samos sits 4% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.13 €9.90

$2.29 ฿76.5

386.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.72 €35.33

$19.64 ฿656

102.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 €6.11

$5.61 ฿188

22.46%

Cappuccino

$3.02 €2.68

$1.66 ฿55.6

81.93%

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

$2.36 €2.10

$0.70 ฿23.40

237.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.78

$0.31 ฿10.24

183.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.13 €3.67

$2.41 ฿80.4

71.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.45 €5.74

$3.71 ฿124

73.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.95 ฿65.3

-21.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.41 ฿47.03

-2.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$1.31 ฿43.62

99.24%

Eggs

$4.56 €4.06

$2.18 ฿72.9

109.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.24 €11.78

$16.65 ฿556

-20.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.65 €8.59

$2.76 ฿92.2

249.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.16 €12.59

$9.11 ฿304

55.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$2.39 ฿80.0

-9.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.03 ฿34.26

95.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.63 ฿54.4

-12.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.50 ฿50.0

29.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.29 ฿43.13

-10.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.11 ฿37.03

3.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.72 ฿24.08

51.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.76

$0.53 ฿17.59

60.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.37 €4.77

$4.31 ฿144

24.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.02

$17.95 ฿600

-62.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.58 ฿52.9

30.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.84 ฿95.0

-7.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.21

$0.86 ฿28.86

59.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.20 €39.32

$53.3 ฿1,780

-17.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.30 €3.83

$1.21 ฿40.29

255.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.57 ฿18.99

91.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.48 €14.66

$2.35 ฿78.6

601.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.44 ฿47.96

49.31%

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

$28.1K €25.0K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

35.57%

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

$25.3K €22.5K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-5.70%

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

$207 €184

$62.3 ฿2,083

232.66%

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

$23.54 €20.94

$12.11 ฿405

94.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.70 €27.31

$19.94 ฿666

53.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 €45.61

$37.07 ฿1,239

38.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.38 €22.57

$3.78 ฿126

571.43%

Cinema Ticket

$8.94 €7.96

$6.50 ฿217

37.54%

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

$429 €382

$793 ฿26.5K

-45.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,664 €6,817

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-48.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 €80.0

$53.7 ฿1,796

67.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.02 €35.59

$24.62 ฿823

62.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 €77.1

$90.9 ฿3,036

-4.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$71.1 ฿2,378

70.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 €428

$455 ฿15.2K

5.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 €356

$298 ฿9,954

34.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$741 €659

$908 ฿30.4K

-18.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$611 €544

$554 ฿18.5K

10.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,683 €2,387

$1,931 ฿64.5K

38.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,181 €1,940

$1,445 ฿48.3K

50.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$990 €881

$591 ฿19.7K

67.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.46

5.57

-19.93%

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

Last update for Samos: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Samos

$400 28.4%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 25.6% $103

Groceries & Markets

Samos

$276 19.6%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 14.7% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samos

$262 18.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 63.9% $167

Eating Out

Samos

$192 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 59.2% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Samos

$152 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 28.9% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Samos

$69 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 27.6% $19

Getting Around

Samos

$59 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2.3% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Samos 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 68% higher in Samos, 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 $40.00 in Samos versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $276 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Samos

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:41 1:41 AM

05:41 5:41 AM

4 h ahead of Samos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,814

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

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Between locations

Samos Chiang Mai 7,200 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Samos
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

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

Samos costs about 53% 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 $2,117 per month in Samos 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 $429 per month in Samos 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 17% more in Samos, 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 Samos at $1,411. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Samos it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,411 in Samos. 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, Samos makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.