Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sesimbra and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,621 in Sesimbra, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sesimbra
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Sesimbra Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sesimbra

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,621

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,621 per month in Sesimbra vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sesimbra $1,621
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,347 per month in Sesimbra vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sesimbra $2,347
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,072 per month in Sesimbra vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sesimbra $3,072
Chiang Mai $1,979

Sesimbra costs about 73% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sesimbra sits 19% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.26 €10.98

$2.24 ฿75.6

447.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.96 €39.37

$19.00 ฿641

131.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 €7.85

$5.55 ฿187

57.84%

Cappuccino

$2.49 €2.23

$1.67 ฿56.5

49.10%

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

$2.14 €1.92

$0.64 ฿21.54

234.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.25

$0.31 ฿10.31

348.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$2.36 ฿79.5

44.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 €3.60

$3.66 ฿124

9.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 €0.92

$1.95 ฿65.7

-47.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 €1.74

$1.44 ฿48.46

34.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 €1.45

$1.33 ฿45.03

21.05%

Eggs

$3.30 €2.95

$2.28 ฿77.1

44.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.94 €9.79

$16.45 ฿555

-33.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.11 €6.37

$2.78 ฿93.9

155.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.01 €13.44

$9.31 ฿314

61.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 €2.51

$2.35 ฿79.4

19.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 €1.26

$0.97 ฿32.79

44.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.60 ฿53.9

16.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.98

$1.50 ฿50.6

47.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 €1.40

$1.28 ฿43.11

21.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.13 €1.91

$1.10 ฿37.18

93.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$0.71 ฿23.82

116.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.49 ฿16.36

69.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.77 €5.17

$4.14 ฿140

39.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.50 €4.03

$17.52 ฿591

-74.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$1.61 ฿54.5

-42.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 €2.69

$2.78 ฿93.9

7.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 €1.98

$0.87 ฿29.30

154.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.69 €35.55

$54.1 ฿1,825

-26.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.17 €1.95

$1.16 ฿39.04

87.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €1.02

$0.53 ฿17.80

113.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.15 €13.57

$2.42 ฿81.7

526.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.91

$1.45 ฿48.88

46.90%

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

$33.8K €30.3K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

60.59%

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

$37.6K €33.7K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

39.51%

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

$101 €90.8

$62.2 ฿2,098

63.02%

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

$20.82 €18.64

$12.17 ฿411

71.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.57 €38.13

$20.12 ฿679

111.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.97 €35.80

$37.31 ฿1,259

7.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.64 €14.01

$3.77 ฿127

314.85%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 €6.68

$6.49 ฿219

14.95%

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

$576 €516

$736 ฿24.8K

-21.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K €10.2K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-22.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.7 €60.6

$53.4 ฿1,801

26.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.82 €33.87

$24.64 ฿831

53.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 €63.5

$91.5 ฿3,087

-22.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 €86.4

$71.9 ฿2,427

34.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$965 €865

$482 ฿16.3K

100.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$781 €699

$309 ฿10.4K

152.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,599 €1,432

$1,006 ฿33.9K

58.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,171 €1,049

$633 ฿21.4K

84.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,318 €2,972

$2,363 ฿79.7K

40.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,475 €2,217

$1,589 ฿53.6K

55.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,373 €1,230

$590 ฿19.9K

132.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

5.57

-30.88%

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

Last update for Sesimbra: 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

Sesimbra

$781 48.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 60.4% $472

Groceries & Markets

Sesimbra

$248 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 5.7% $14

Eating Out

Sesimbra

$194 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 59.9% $116

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sesimbra

$165 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 42.7% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Sesimbra

$123 7.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 11.5% $14

Getting Around

Sesimbra

$56 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 8.8% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Sesimbra

$55 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 8.4% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $965 in Sesimbra 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 Sesimbra are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Sesimbra versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $248 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Sesimbra

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

09:02 9:02 AM

7 h ahead of Sesimbra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,394

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Sesimbra Chiang Mai 10,200 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Sesimbra
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

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

Sesimbra costs about 73% 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 $2,432 per month in Sesimbra 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 $965 in Sesimbra.

Kindergarten costs $576 per month in Sesimbra 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 6% more in Sesimbra, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,621 in Sesimbra 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 $1,621 in Sesimbra. 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, Sesimbra makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.