Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Schwechat and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,284 in Schwechat, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Schwechat
Learn more

Schwechat Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Schwechat

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,284

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,284 per month in Schwechat vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Schwechat $2,284
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,370 per month in Schwechat vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Schwechat $3,370
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,456 per month in Schwechat vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Schwechat $4,456
Chiang Mai $1,979

Schwechat costs about 144% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Schwechat sits 68% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.94 €16.03

$2.24 ฿75.5

700.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.2 €69.8

$19.00 ฿640

311.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.47 €12.03

$5.55 ฿187

142.70%

Cappuccino

$5.10 €4.55

$1.67 ฿56.4

205.39%

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

$3.96 €3.53

$0.64 ฿21.51

518.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.26 €2.91

$0.31 ฿10.29

951.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.78 €5.16

$2.36 ฿79.5

144.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 €4.75

$3.66 ฿123

45.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 €1.40

$1.95 ฿65.7

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.44 ฿48.41

51.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 €2.28

$1.33 ฿44.97

91.73%

Eggs

$4.50 €4.02

$2.28 ฿77.0

97.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.45 €19.16

$16.45 ฿554

30.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.43 €12.89

$2.78 ฿93.8

419.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.76 €20.33

$9.31 ฿314

144.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.82 €2.52

$2.35 ฿79.3

20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$0.97 ฿32.75

128.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.60 €3.21

$1.60 ฿53.8

125.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.42 €6.63

$1.50 ฿50.6

394.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.28 ฿43.06

70.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.10 ฿37.14

68.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.89 €1.69

$0.71 ฿23.79

166.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.49 ฿16.34

67.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.21 €6.44

$4.14 ฿140

74.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.25 €7.37

$17.52 ฿590

-52.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.61 ฿54.4

-11.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.67

$2.78 ฿93.8

-32.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.85 €2.54

$0.87 ฿29.27

227.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.1 €54.6

$54.1 ฿1,823

12.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 €4.40

$1.16 ฿39.00

325.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.09 €1.87

$0.53 ฿17.78

294.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.40 €39.66

$2.42 ฿81.6

1734.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.45 ฿48.82

33.79%

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

$29.4K €26.2K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

39.51%

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

$31.2K €27.9K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

15.79%

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

$322 €288

$62.2 ฿2,095

417.87%

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

$13.92 €12.43

$12.17 ฿410

14.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 €29.42

$20.12 ฿678

63.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.19 €35.90

$37.31 ฿1,257

7.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.50 €21.88

$3.77 ฿127

549.87%

Cinema Ticket

$14.95 €13.35

$6.49 ฿219

130.35%

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

$387 €345

$736 ฿24.8K

-47.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.8K €24.9K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

88.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 €80.3

$53.4 ฿1,799

68.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.37 €34.27

$24.64 ฿830

55.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.8 €81.1

$91.5 ฿3,083

-0.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €118

$71.9 ฿2,424

83.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 €874

$482 ฿16.3K

102.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$881 €787

$309 ฿10.4K

185.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,619 €1,446

$1,006 ฿33.9K

60.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 €1,250

$633 ฿21.3K

120.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,960 €6,217

$2,363 ฿79.6K

194.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,937 €5,303

$1,589 ฿53.6K

273.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,345 €4,774

$590 ฿19.9K

806.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.41

5.57

-38.78%

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

Last update for Schwechat: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Schwechat

$881 38.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 64.9% $572

Groceries & Markets

Schwechat

$404 17.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 42% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Schwechat

$369 16.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 74.4% $274

Eating Out

Schwechat

$313 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 75.3% $236

Clothing & Footwear

Schwechat

$158 6.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 31.3% $49

Getting Around

Schwechat

$88 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 30.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Schwechat

$70 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 28.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $979 in Schwechat 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 Schwechat are about 9.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Schwechat versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $404 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Schwechat

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:37 11:37 AM

17:37 5:37 PM

6 h ahead of Schwechat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,351

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Schwechat Chiang Mai 7,920 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Schwechat
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

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

Schwechat costs about 144% 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 $3,425 per month in Schwechat 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 $482 there versus $979 in Schwechat.

Kindergarten costs $387 per month in Schwechat 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 73% more in Schwechat, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,284 in Schwechat 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 $2,284 in Schwechat. 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, Schwechat makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.