Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Szekesfehervar and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,089 in Szekesfehervar, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Szekesfehervar, Hungary
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Szekesfehervar
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,089
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,089 per month in Szekesfehervar vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Szekesfehervar $1,089
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,787 per month in Szekesfehervar vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Szekesfehervar $1,787
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,485 per month in Szekesfehervar vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Szekesfehervar $2,485
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Szekesfehervar costs about 16% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Szekesfehervar and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Szekesfehervar 20% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Szekesfehervar
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.27 Ft 3,033
$2.24 ฿75.6
313.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$58.6 Ft 19.2K
$19.00 ฿641
208.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.64 Ft 2,828
$5.55 ฿187
55.68%
Cappuccino
$2.11 Ft 690
$1.67 ฿56.5
26.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.39 Ft 454
$0.64 ฿21.55
117.19%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.02 Ft 333
$0.31 ฿10.31
229.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.00 Ft 656
$2.36 ฿79.6
-15.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.30 Ft 753
$3.66 ฿124
-37.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Szekesfehervar
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.12 Ft 367
$1.95 ฿65.8
-42.56%
White Bread (500g)
$1.34 Ft 440
$1.44 ฿48.48
-6.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.49 Ft 816
$1.33 ฿45.04
87.22%
Eggs
$3.55 Ft 1,161
$2.28 ฿77.1
55.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.58 Ft 3,463
$16.45 ฿555
-35.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.10 Ft 1,998
$2.78 ฿93.9
119.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.10 Ft 5,272
$9.31 ฿314
72.93%
Apples (1kg)
$2.11 Ft 691
$2.35 ฿79.4
-10.21%
Banana (1kg)
$2.21 Ft 724
$0.97 ฿32.80
127.84%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.97 Ft 646
$1.60 ฿53.9
23.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.09 Ft 1,012
$1.50 ฿50.6
106.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.02 Ft 334
$1.28 ฿43.12
-20.31%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 Ft 360
$1.10 ฿37.19
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.64 Ft 536
$0.71 ฿23.82
130.99%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Ft 168
$0.49 ฿16.37
4.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.73 Ft 2,205
$4.14 ฿140
62.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.05 Ft 1,000
$17.52 ฿591
-82.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 Ft 415
$1.61 ฿54.5
-21.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.05 Ft 672
$2.78 ฿94.0
-26.26%
🚌 Getting Around
Szekesfehervar
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.19 Ft 391
$0.87 ฿29.31
36.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.36 Ft 8,628
$54.1 ฿1,826
-51.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.94 Ft 961
$1.16 ฿39.06
153.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.62 Ft 531
$0.53 ฿17.80
205.66%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.45 Ft 6,039
$2.42 ฿81.8
662.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.85 Ft 606
$1.45 ฿48.90
27.59%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.1K Ft 8.9M
$21.1K ฿710.7K
28.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.9K Ft 9.8M
$26.9K ฿909.3K
10.93%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Szekesfehervar
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$127 Ft 41.6K
$62.2 ฿2,098
104.31%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.40 Ft 8,969
$12.17 ฿411
125.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.40 Ft 6,351
$20.12 ฿679
-3.58%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Szekesfehervar
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.83 Ft 14.7K
$37.31 ฿1,259
20.16%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.77 ฿127
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.49 Ft 2,781
$6.49 ฿219
30.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Szekesfehervar
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$243 Ft 79.4K
$736 ฿24.8K
-67.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,655 Ft 2.2M
$14.8K ฿498.3K
-54.92%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Szekesfehervar
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.4 Ft 22.4K
$53.4 ฿1,801
28.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.45 Ft 8,003
$24.64 ฿831
-0.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.6 Ft 24.4K
$91.5 ฿3,087
-18.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$82.1 Ft 26.9K
$71.9 ฿2,428
14.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Szekesfehervar
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$394 Ft 129.1K
$482 ฿16.3K
-18.25%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$308 Ft 100.8K
$309 ฿10.4K
-0.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$629 Ft 206.0K
$1,006 ฿33.9K
-37.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$655 Ft 214.4K
$633 ฿21.4K
3.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,372 Ft 1.1M
$2,363 ฿79.8K
42.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,051 Ft 998.9K
$1,589 ฿53.6K
92.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Szekesfehervar
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,489 Ft 487.3K
$590 ฿19.9K
152.41%
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 Szekesfehervar: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Szekesfehervar
$308
Chiang Mai
$309 0.4% $1.1
Groceries & Markets
Szekesfehervar
$241
Chiang Mai
$234 2.8% $6.7
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Szekesfehervar
$174
Chiang Mai
$94 45.7% $79
Eating Out
Szekesfehervar
$150
Chiang Mai
$78 48.1% $72
Clothing & Footwear
Szekesfehervar
$112
Chiang Mai
$109 3.2% $3.6
Sport & Entertainment
Szekesfehervar
$62
Chiang Mai
$50 18.7% $12
Getting Around
Szekesfehervar
$42
Chiang Mai
$61 45.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $394 in Szekesfehervar 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 Szekesfehervar are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Szekesfehervar versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $241 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Szekesfehervar
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
03:55 3:55 AM
09:55 9:55 AM
6 h ahead of Szekesfehervar
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
96,024
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 327 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.05 USD). 1 EUR = 366 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Szekesfehervar Chiang Mai 7,790 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Szekesfehervar
  • 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
Szekesfehervar vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Szekesfehervar or Chiang Mai?
Szekesfehervar costs about 16% 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 Szekesfehervar and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,633 per month in Szekesfehervar 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, Szekesfehervar or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Szekesfehervar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $394 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do childcare costs compare in Szekesfehervar and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $243 per month in Szekesfehervar 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 Szekesfehervar or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 3% more in Szekesfehervar, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Szekesfehervar or in Chiang Mai?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,089 in Szekesfehervar 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: Szekesfehervar 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 $1,089 in Szekesfehervar. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Szekesfehervar 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 Szekesfehervar or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Szekesfehervar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Szekesfehervar vs other spots: cost of living compared

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