Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sarande and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,295 in Sarande, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Sarande
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Sarande Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sarande

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,295

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,295 per month in Sarande vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sarande $1,295
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,193 per month in Sarande vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sarande $2,193
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $3,092 per month in Sarande vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sarande $3,092
Chiang Mai $1,999

Sarande costs about 38% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sarande and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sarande 4% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.01 ALL 806

$2.13 ฿71.6

369.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.4 ALL 4,464

$18.62 ฿624

197.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.18 ALL 901

$5.60 ฿188

99.64%

Cappuccino

$2.25 ALL 181

$1.66 ฿55.8

35.54%

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

$2.43 ALL 196

$0.65 ฿21.69

273.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 ALL 90.4

$0.30 ฿10.22

273.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.59 ALL 289

$2.32 ฿77.9

54.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 ALL 322

$3.67 ฿123

8.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 ALL 176

$2.02 ฿67.6

7.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 ALL 90.3

$1.41 ฿47.21

-20.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 ALL 190

$1.39 ฿46.67

69.78%

Eggs

$3.64 ALL 293

$2.37 ฿79.4

53.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.62 ALL 1,016

$16.52 ฿554

-23.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.21 ALL 742

$2.67 ฿89.5

244.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.11 ALL 1,378

$9.02 ฿302

89.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ALL 153

$2.40 ฿80.4

-20.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 ALL 195

$1.04 ฿34.91

132.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 ALL 161

$1.66 ฿55.6

20.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 ALL 145

$1.56 ฿52.3

15.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 ALL 82.3

$1.24 ฿41.50

-17.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ALL 94.1

$1.09 ฿36.44

7.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 ALL 117

$0.76 ฿25.54

90.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ALL 63.1

$0.51 ฿17.24

52.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.01 ALL 403

$4.12 ฿138

21.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.43 ALL 599

$17.93 ฿601

-58.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 ALL 129

$1.62 ฿54.4

-1.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ALL 162

$2.82 ฿94.6

-28.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ALL 91.3

$0.93 ฿31.33

21.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.30 ALL 1,797

$52.9 ฿1,773

-57.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.65 ALL 294

$1.18 ฿39.45

209.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.64 ALL 293

$0.17 ฿5.75

2041.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.79 ALL 1,514

$1.81 ฿60.8

938.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 ALL 175

$1.47 ฿49.38

47.62%

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

$34.2K ALL 2.8M

$21.0K ฿704.5K

62.85%

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

$28.4K ALL 2.3M

$26.5K ฿889.1K

7.16%

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

$98.1 ALL 7,903

$62.6 ฿2,098

56.81%

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

$18.89 ALL 1,522

$11.60 ฿389

62.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.98 ALL 1,609

$20.30 ฿681

-1.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.5 ALL 7,133

$37.88 ฿1,270

133.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.64 ALL 3,274

$3.70 ฿124

998.38%

Cinema Ticket

$9.93 ALL 800

$6.51 ฿218

52.53%

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

$303 ALL 24.4K

$727 ฿24.4K

-58.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,993 ALL 643.9K

$16.6K ฿555.7K

-51.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.5 ALL 5,115

$53.5 ฿1,795

18.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.86 ALL 3,695

$24.80 ฿832

84.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 ALL 9,714

$90.4 ฿3,031

33.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 ALL 9,752

$72.0 ฿2,413

68.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$840 ALL 67.7K

$481 ฿16.1K

74.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$382 ALL 30.7K

$310 ฿10.4K

23.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 ALL 86.6K

$1,058 ฿35.5K

1.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$932 ALL 75.1K

$659 ฿22.1K

41.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,632 ALL 373.1K

$2,418 ฿81.1K

91.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,803 ALL 225.8K

$1,609 ฿53.9K

74.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$787 ALL 63.4K

$595 ฿19.9K

32.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.16

5.57

-7.36%

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

Last update for Sarande: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sarande

$382 29.5%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 18.8% $72

Groceries & Markets

Sarande

$281 21.7%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 15.7% $44

Eating Out

Sarande

$181 14%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 57.6% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Sarande

$158 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 31.4% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sarande

$137 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 31% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Sarande

$108 8.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 53% $57

Getting Around

Sarande

$49 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 20.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $840 in Sarande versus $481 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 32% higher in Sarande, 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 $55 in Sarande versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $281 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Sarande

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:45 4:45 PM

22:45 10:45 PM

6 h ahead of Sarande

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,233

127,240

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.11 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇱 Albanian Lek (L)

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 80.56 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.48 ALL (100 ALL = 1.11 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ALL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sarande Chiang Mai 7,760 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sarande
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

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

Sarande costs about 38% 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 $1,943 per month in Sarande and $1,403 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $840 in Sarande.

Kindergarten costs $303 per month in Sarande and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Sarande, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,295 in Sarande and $935 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,295 in Sarande. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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