Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Szeged and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,223 in Szeged, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Szeged
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Szeged Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Szeged

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,223

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,223 per month in Szeged vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Szeged $1,223
Chiang Mai $936

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

Szeged $1,918
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,613 per month in Szeged vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Szeged $2,613
Chiang Mai $1,979

Szeged costs about 31% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Szeged and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Szeged 10% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.23 Ft 3,041

$2.24 ฿75.7

312.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$58.0 Ft 19.1K

$19.00 ฿642

205.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.04 Ft 2,979

$5.55 ฿188

62.88%

Cappuccino

$2.37 Ft 781

$1.67 ฿56.6

41.92%

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

$1.57 Ft 518

$0.64 ฿21.56

145.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 Ft 431

$0.31 ฿10.32

322.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 Ft 736

$2.36 ฿79.6

-5.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 Ft 759

$3.66 ฿124

-36.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 Ft 389

$1.95 ฿65.8

-39.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 Ft 445

$1.44 ฿48.51

-6.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 Ft 802

$1.33 ฿45.07

82.71%

Eggs

$3.56 Ft 1,174

$2.28 ฿77.1

56.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.68 Ft 3,517

$16.45 ฿556

-35.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.58 Ft 2,167

$2.78 ฿94.0

136.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.85 Ft 5,220

$9.31 ฿314

70.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 Ft 720

$2.35 ฿79.5

-6.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 Ft 742

$0.97 ฿32.82

131.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 Ft 658

$1.60 ฿53.9

25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 Ft 1,099

$1.50 ฿50.7

122.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 Ft 338

$1.28 ฿43.15

-19.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 Ft 343

$1.10 ฿37.22

-5.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 Ft 525

$0.71 ฿23.84

123.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 Ft 165

$0.49 ฿16.38

2.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.94 Ft 2,614

$4.14 ฿140

91.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.18 Ft 1,705

$17.52 ฿592

-70.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 Ft 405

$1.61 ฿54.5

-23.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 Ft 651

$2.78 ฿94.0

-28.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 Ft 564

$0.87 ฿29.33

96.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.69 Ft 9,449

$54.1 ฿1,827

-46.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 Ft 998

$1.16 ฿39.08

161.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 Ft 541

$0.53 ฿17.82

209.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.32 Ft 6,034

$2.42 ฿81.8

657.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 598

$1.45 ฿48.93

25.52%

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

$26.9K Ft 8.9M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

27.92%

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

$35.5K Ft 11.7M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

31.76%

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

$128 Ft 42.1K

$62.2 ฿2,100

105.45%

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

$21.90 Ft 7,215

$12.17 ฿411

79.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.74 Ft 6,504

$20.12 ฿680

-1.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 Ft 16.9K

$37.31 ฿1,260

37.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.38 Ft 9,678

$3.77 ฿127

679.31%

Cinema Ticket

$8.64 Ft 2,846

$6.49 ฿219

33.13%

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

$250 Ft 82.4K

$736 ฿24.9K

-66.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,580 Ft 2.2M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-55.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 Ft 37.0K

$53.4 ฿1,802

110.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.50 Ft 10.7K

$24.64 ฿832

31.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.6 Ft 30.8K

$91.5 ฿3,089

2.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 Ft 36.3K

$71.9 ฿2,429

53.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 Ft 170.6K

$482 ฿16.3K

7.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 Ft 123.6K

$309 ฿10.4K

21.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$739 Ft 243.4K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-26.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 Ft 202.7K

$633 ฿21.4K

-2.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,210 Ft 1.1M

$2,363 ฿79.8K

35.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,316 Ft 763.0K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

45.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,224 Ft 403.2K

$590 ฿19.9K

107.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

5.57

19.75%

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

Last update for Szeged: 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

Szeged

$375 30.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 17.7% $66

Groceries & Markets

Szeged

$249 20.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 5.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Szeged

$169 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 44.2% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Szeged

$157 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 30.8% $48

Eating Out

Szeged

$157 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 50.5% $79

Sport & Entertainment

Szeged

$69 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 26.9% $18

Getting Around

Szeged

$47 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 31.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $518 in Szeged 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 Szeged are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Szeged versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $249 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Szeged

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:11 1:11 PM

19:11 7:11 PM

6 h ahead of Szeged

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,930

127,240

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 329 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.73 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Szeged Chiang Mai 7,670 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Szeged
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

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

Szeged costs about 31% 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 $1,834 per month in Szeged and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $518 in Szeged and $482 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $250 per month in Szeged 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 Szeged, 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 $1,223 in Szeged and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,223 in Szeged. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Szeged makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.