Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Setubal and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,626 in Setubal, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Setubal, Portugal
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Setubal
🇵🇹 Portugal
$1,626
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,626 per month in Setubal vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Setubal $1,626
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,344 per month in Setubal vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Setubal $2,344
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,062 per month in Setubal vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Setubal $3,062
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Setubal costs about 74% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Setubal
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.12 €10.86
$2.24 ฿75.6
441.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$47.89 €42.89
$19.00 ฿641
152.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.74 €7.82
$5.55 ฿187
57.48%
Cappuccino
$2.01 €1.80
$1.67 ฿56.5
20.36%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 €1.77
$0.64 ฿21.54
209.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.53 €1.37
$0.31 ฿10.31
393.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.29 €2.05
$2.36 ฿79.5
-2.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.32 €2.97
$3.66 ฿124
-9.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Setubal
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.02 €0.92
$1.95 ฿65.7
-47.69%
White Bread (500g)
$1.51 €1.35
$1.44 ฿48.46
4.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.75 €1.57
$1.33 ฿45.03
31.58%
Eggs
$3.39 €3.04
$2.28 ฿77.1
48.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.56 €10.36
$16.45 ฿555
-29.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.51 €6.72
$2.78 ฿93.9
170.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.55 €13.03
$9.31 ฿314
56.28%
Apples (1kg)
$2.37 €2.13
$2.35 ฿79.4
0.85%
Banana (1kg)
$1.34 €1.20
$0.97 ฿32.79
38.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.84 €1.65
$1.60 ฿53.9
15.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.71 €2.42
$1.50 ฿50.6
80.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.65 €1.48
$1.28 ฿43.11
28.91%
Onion (1kg)
$1.99 €1.78
$1.10 ฿37.18
80.91%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.51 €1.35
$0.71 ฿23.82
112.68%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.71 €0.64
$0.49 ฿16.36
44.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.90 €5.29
$4.14 ฿140
42.51%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.54 €4.06
$17.52 ฿591
-74.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.93 €0.84
$1.61 ฿54.5
-42.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.16 €1.93
$2.78 ฿93.9
-22.30%
🚌 Getting Around
Setubal
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.34 €3.89
$0.87 ฿29.30
398.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.44 €40.69
$54.1 ฿1,825
-15.99%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.71 €3.32
$1.16 ฿39.04
219.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.42 €1.28
$0.53 ฿17.80
167.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$13.83 €12.38
$2.42 ฿81.7
471.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.09 €1.87
$1.45 ฿48.88
44.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.0K €29.5K
$21.1K ฿710.5K
56.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$38.3K €34.3K
$26.9K ฿909.0K
42.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Setubal
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$98.6 €88.3
$62.2 ฿2,098
58.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$20.71 €18.55
$12.17 ฿411
70.17%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.10 €29.64
$20.12 ฿679
64.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Setubal
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.86 €27.64
$37.31 ฿1,259
-17.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.87 €14.21
$3.77 ฿127
320.95%
Cinema Ticket
$7.65 €6.85
$6.49 ฿219
17.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Setubal
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$595 €533
$736 ฿24.8K
-19.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.9K €9,739
$14.8K ฿498.2K
-26.35%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Setubal
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$67.2 €60.2
$53.4 ฿1,801
25.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.07 €33.20
$24.64 ฿831
50.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.9 €64.4
$91.5 ฿3,087
-21.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.3 €83.6
$71.9 ฿2,427
29.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Setubal
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$985 €882
$482 ฿16.3K
104.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$809 €724
$309 ฿10.4K
161.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,590 €1,424
$1,006 ฿33.9K
58.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,171 €1,049
$633 ฿21.4K
84.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,192 €3,755
$2,363 ฿79.7K
77.41%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,341 €2,096
$1,589 ฿53.6K
47.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Setubal
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,296 €1,161
$590 ฿19.9K
119.84%
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 Setubal: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Setubal
$809
Chiang Mai
$309 61.8% $500
Groceries & Markets
Setubal
$244
Chiang Mai
$234 4% $9.8
Eating Out
Setubal
$179
Chiang Mai
$78 56.8% $102
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Setubal
$152
Chiang Mai
$94 38% $58
Clothing & Footwear
Setubal
$121
Chiang Mai
$109 10.4% $13
Getting Around
Setubal
$74
Chiang Mai
$61 16.7% $12
Sport & Entertainment
Setubal
$46
Chiang Mai
$50 8.9% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $985 in Setubal 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 Setubal are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48 in Setubal versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇵🇹 Setubal
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
22:16 10:16 PM
05:16 5:16 AM
7 h ahead of Setubal
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
123,519
127,240
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Setubal Chiang Mai 10,180 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Setubal
  • 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
Setubal vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Setubal or Chiang Mai?
Setubal costs about 74% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Setubal and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,439 per month in Setubal and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Setubal or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $985 in Setubal.
How do childcare costs compare in Setubal and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $595 per month in Setubal and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Setubal or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 4% more in Setubal, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Setubal or in Chiang Mai?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,626 in Setubal and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Setubal or Chiang Mai?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,626 in Setubal. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Setubal compared to Chiang Mai?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Setubal or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Setubal makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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