Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Pawl Il-bahar and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,697 in San Pawl Il-bahar, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in San Pawl Il-bahar
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San Pawl Il-bahar Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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San Pawl Il-bahar

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,697

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in San Pawl Il-bahar 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 San Pawl Il-bahar and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,697 per month in San Pawl Il-bahar vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Pawl Il-bahar $1,697
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,593 per month in San Pawl Il-bahar vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Pawl Il-bahar $2,593
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,489 per month in San Pawl Il-bahar vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

San Pawl Il-bahar $3,489
Chiang Mai $1,914

San Pawl Il-bahar costs about 81% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

San Pawl Il-bahar sits 26% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.75 €17.57

$2.26 ฿75.4

773.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.2 €73.1

$19.18 ฿641

328.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 €10.03

$5.59 ฿187

101.79%

Cappuccino

$2.58 €2.30

$1.72 ฿57.6

50.00%

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

$2.47 €2.20

$0.64 ฿21.54

285.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$0.33 ฿11.18

490.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.50 €4.00

$2.36 ฿78.7

90.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.18 €4.60

$3.90 ฿130

32.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.05 ฿68.6

-36.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.40 ฿46.70

-17.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.82 €3.40

$1.28 ฿42.89

198.44%

Eggs

$3.62 €3.22

$2.25 ฿75.3

60.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 €7.50

$16.94 ฿566

-50.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.75 €6.89

$2.74 ฿91.6

182.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.41 €8.37

$9.36 ฿313

0.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$2.40 ฿80.3

24.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.01 ฿33.92

102.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 €2.60

$1.61 ฿53.9

81.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 €2.54

$1.52 ฿50.7

88.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.28 ฿42.90

22.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.11 ฿37.22

65.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 €1.06

$0.72 ฿24.09

65.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 €1.07

$0.52 ฿17.54

130.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.33 €5.63

$4.33 ฿145

46.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.30 €7.38

$17.73 ฿593

-53.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.32

$1.63 ฿54.4

-8.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.78

$2.85 ฿95.3

-29.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 €2.46

$0.85 ฿28.31

224.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.72 €5.09

$1.17 ฿39.18

388.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 €1.93

$0.57 ฿19.00

280.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.51 €23.58

$2.37 ฿79.2

1018.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.30

$1.45 ฿48.32

1.38%

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

$38.3K €34.1K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

87.07%

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

$39.6K €35.2K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

49.25%

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

$58.9 €52.4

$62.3 ฿2,083

-5.57%

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

$20.63 €18.35

$12.27 ฿410

68.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.96 €35.54

$19.97 ฿668

100.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.65 €44.17

$37.91 ฿1,267

30.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.51 €12.02

$3.76 ฿126

259.31%

Cinema Ticket

$9.96 €8.86

$6.71 ฿224

48.44%

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

$371 €330

$797 ฿26.6K

-53.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K €9,915

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-24.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.55 €20.06

$53.3 ฿1,780

-57.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.53 €29.83

$25.05 ฿837

33.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.5 €85.8

$91.6 ฿3,062

5.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.4 €67.1

$73.5 ฿2,455

2.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$981 €872

$464 ฿15.5K

111.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$848 €755

$305 ฿10.2K

178.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,640 €1,459

$915 ฿30.6K

79.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,348 €1,199

$552 ฿18.5K

143.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,441 €3,061

$1,912 ฿63.9K

79.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,867 €2,550

$1,438 ฿48.1K

99.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,670 €1,485

$595 ฿19.9K

180.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

5.57

-47.94%

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

Last update for San Pawl Il-bahar: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Pawl Il-bahar

$848 50%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 64.1% $544

Eating Out

San Pawl Il-bahar

$273 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 71.1% $194

Groceries & Markets

San Pawl Il-bahar

$256 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 6.9% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Pawl Il-bahar

$119 7%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 20.8% $25

Clothing & Footwear

San Pawl Il-bahar

$103 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 6.8% $7

Sport & Entertainment

San Pawl Il-bahar

$70 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 26.2% $18

Getting Around

San Pawl Il-bahar

$28 * 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 122% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $981 in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $464 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 181% higher in San Pawl Il-bahar, 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 $82.0 in San Pawl Il-bahar versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $256 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 San Pawl Il-bahar

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:53 5:53 PM

22:53 10:53 PM

5 h ahead of San Pawl Il-bahar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,046

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

San Pawl Il-bahar Chiang Mai 8,320 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

San Pawl Il-bahar
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

San Pawl Il-bahar vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Pawl Il-bahar costs about 81% 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 $2,545 per month in San Pawl Il-bahar and $1,408 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in San Pawl Il-bahar and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in San Pawl Il-bahar, 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 $938, than in San Pawl Il-bahar at $1,697. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Pawl Il-bahar it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,697 in San Pawl Il-bahar. 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, San Pawl Il-bahar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.