Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Soest and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,926 in Soest, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Soest
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Soest Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Soest

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,926

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,926 per month in Soest vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Soest $1,926
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,858 per month in Soest vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Soest $2,858
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $3,790 per month in Soest vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Soest $3,790
Chiang Mai $1,999

Soest costs about 106% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Soest sits 42% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.39 €11.94

$2.13 ฿72.0

528.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.2

$18.62 ฿628

262.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.22 €10.01

$5.60 ฿189

100.36%

Cappuccino

$2.94 €2.63

$1.66 ฿56.1

77.11%

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

$2.18 €1.95

$0.65 ฿21.82

235.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.98

$0.30 ฿10.29

640.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.55 €3.17

$2.32 ฿78.3

53.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 €2.05

$3.67 ฿124

-37.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.10

$2.02 ฿68.0

-38.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.41 ฿47.49

22.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.89 €3.47

$1.39 ฿46.94

179.86%

Eggs

$3.40 €3.03

$2.37 ฿79.9

43.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.12 €12.60

$16.52 ฿557

-14.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.50 €10.26

$2.67 ฿90.1

330.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.17 €16.21

$9.02 ฿304

101.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 €2.43

$2.40 ฿80.9

13.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$1.04 ฿35.12

92.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.66 ฿56.0

24.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.56 ฿52.6

40.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.24 ฿41.75

7.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.09 ฿36.65

8.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.76 ฿25.70

102.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.51 ฿17.34

109.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.25 €8.25

$4.12 ฿139

124.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.12 €5.46

$17.93 ฿605

-65.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.80

$1.62 ฿54.8

-45.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$2.82 ฿95.2

-47.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.55 €3.17

$0.93 ฿31.52

281.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.8 €55.2

$52.9 ฿1,784

16.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 €3.45

$1.18 ฿39.69

227.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.54 €2.26

$0.17 ฿5.78

1394.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.29 €29.70

$1.81 ฿61.1

1739.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.47 ฿49.67

38.10%

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

$30.5K €27.2K

$21.0K ฿708.7K

45.18%

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

$38.2K €34.1K

$26.5K ฿894.4K

44.25%

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

$373 €333

$62.6 ฿2,110

496.04%

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

$16.61 €14.81

$11.60 ฿391

43.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.03 €39.28

$20.30 ฿685

116.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.16 €25.12

$37.88 ฿1,278

-25.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.93 €23.13

$3.70 ฿125

600.81%

Cinema Ticket

$10.74 €9.58

$6.51 ฿220

64.98%

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

$468 €417

$727 ฿24.5K

-35.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$16.6K ฿559.0K

1.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$127 €114

$53.5 ฿1,806

137.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.39 €29.78

$24.80 ฿836

34.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 €105

$90.4 ฿3,049

30.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €110

$72.0 ฿2,428

70.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 €978

$481 ฿16.2K

127.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 €580

$310 ฿10.5K

109.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,464 €1,306

$1,058 ฿35.7K

38.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,136 €1,014

$659 ฿22.2K

72.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,699 €4,192

$2,418 ฿81.5K

94.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,384 €3,019

$1,609 ฿54.3K

110.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

5.57

-28.90%

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

Last update for Soest: November 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Soest

$651 33.8%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 52.4% $341

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Soest

$434 22.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 78.2% $339

Groceries & Markets

Soest

$303 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 21.9% $66

Eating Out

Soest

$216 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 64.6% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Soest

$181 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 40.1% $72

Getting Around

Soest

$93 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 36.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Soest

$50 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 2.6% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,097 in Soest 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Soest versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $303 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Soest

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:35 4:35 PM

22:35 10:35 PM

6 h ahead of Soest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,460

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Soest Chiang Mai 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Soest
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

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

Soest costs about 106% 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 $2,889 per month in Soest 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 $1,097 in Soest.

Kindergarten costs $468 per month in Soest 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 28% more in Soest, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,926 in Soest 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 $1,926 in Soest. 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.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 51% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.