Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Soustons and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,853 in Soustons, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Soustons
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Soustons Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Soustons

🇫🇷 France

$1,853

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,853 per month in Soustons vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Soustons $1,853
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,918 per month in Soustons vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Soustons $2,918
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,983 per month in Soustons vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Soustons $3,983
Chiang Mai $1,979

Soustons costs about 98% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Soustons sits 36% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.89 €15.18

$2.24 ฿75.7

654.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.4 €69.5

$19.00 ฿642

307.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.21 €11.87

$5.55 ฿188

138.02%

Cappuccino

$4.50 €4.05

$1.67 ฿56.6

169.46%

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

$4.15 €3.73

$0.64 ฿21.56

548.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 €2.71

$0.31 ฿10.32

870.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.35 €6.60

$2.36 ฿79.6

211.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.77 €6.08

$3.66 ฿124

84.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.13

$1.95 ฿65.8

-35.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 €0.49

$1.44 ฿48.51

-62.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.52 €2.27

$1.33 ฿45.07

89.47%

Eggs

$2.94 €2.65

$2.28 ฿77.1

28.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.12 €20.77

$16.45 ฿556

40.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.52 €13.04

$2.78 ฿94.0

422.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.37 €18.30

$9.31 ฿314

118.80%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 €3.02

$2.35 ฿79.5

43.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$0.97 ฿32.82

163.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 €3.03

$1.60 ฿53.9

110.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.42 €3.07

$1.50 ฿50.7

128.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.28 €2.05

$1.28 ฿43.15

78.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 €2.46

$1.10 ฿37.22

149.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 €1.22

$0.71 ฿23.84

91.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 €0.61

$0.49 ฿16.38

38.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.13 €12.69

$4.14 ฿140

241.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.81 €6.12

$17.52 ฿592

-61.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.39 €3.05

$1.61 ฿54.5

110.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 €2.94

$2.78 ฿94.0

17.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.08 €1.87

$0.87 ฿29.33

139.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.48 €37.27

$54.1 ฿1,827

-23.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.22 €7.39

$1.16 ฿39.08

608.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.34 €2.11

$0.53 ฿17.82

341.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.20 €33.43

$2.42 ฿81.8

1437.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.88

$1.45 ฿48.93

44.14%

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

$34.7K €31.2K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

64.74%

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

$36.7K €33.0K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

36.22%

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

$218 €196

$62.2 ฿2,100

250.88%

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

$14.22 €12.77

$12.17 ฿411

16.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.42 €30.02

$20.12 ฿680

66.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.82 €31.28

$37.31 ฿1,260

-6.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$13.31 €11.96

$6.49 ฿219

105.08%

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

$1,001 €900

$736 ฿24.9K

36.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K €9,046

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-31.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$116 €104

$53.4 ฿1,802

116.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.3 €46.07

$24.64 ฿832

108.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 €103

$91.5 ฿3,089

25.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 €149

$71.9 ฿2,429

130.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$875 €787

$482 ฿16.3K

81.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$578 €520

$309 ฿10.4K

87.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 €1,418

$1,006 ฿34.0K

56.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 €1,013

$633 ฿21.4K

77.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,659 €3,287

$2,363 ฿79.8K

54.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,184 €2,861

$1,589 ฿53.7K

100.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

5.57

-31.96%

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

Last update for Soustons: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Soustons

$578 31.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 46.6% $269

Groceries & Markets

Soustons

$369 19.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 36.4% $134

Eating Out

Soustons

$308 16.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 74.8% $230

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Soustons

$266 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 64.5% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Soustons

$202 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 46.1% $93

Getting Around

Soustons

$70 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 12% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Soustons

$61 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 18.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $875 in Soustons 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77 in Soustons versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $369 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Soustons

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:48 6:48 PM

00:48 12:48 AM

6 h ahead of Soustons

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Soustons Chiang Mai 9,370 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Soustons
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

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

Soustons costs about 98% 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 $2,780 per month in Soustons 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 $875 in Soustons.

Kindergarten costs $1,001 per month in Soustons 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 57% more in Soustons, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,853 in Soustons and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.