Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Szentendre and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,455 in Szentendre, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Szentendre
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Szentendre Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Szentendre

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,455

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,455 per month in Szentendre vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Szentendre $1,455
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,091 per month in Szentendre vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Szentendre $2,091
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,726 per month in Szentendre vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Szentendre $2,726
Chiang Mai $1,914

Szentendre costs about 55% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Szentendre sits 8% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.75 Ft 4,118

$2.26 ฿75.4

464.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.7 Ft 18.0K

$19.18 ฿641

190.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.05 Ft 2,923

$5.59 ฿187

61.90%

Cappuccino

$2.67 Ft 862

$1.72 ฿57.6

55.23%

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

$1.90 Ft 613

$0.64 ฿21.54

196.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 Ft 370

$0.33 ฿11.18

248.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.32 Ft 1,074

$2.36 ฿78.7

40.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 Ft 927

$3.90 ฿130

-26.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 Ft 370

$2.05 ฿68.6

-44.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 Ft 464

$1.40 ฿46.70

2.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 Ft 754

$1.28 ฿42.89

82.03%

Eggs

$3.36 Ft 1,086

$2.25 ฿75.3

49.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.26 Ft 3,636

$16.94 ฿566

-33.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.07 Ft 1,963

$2.74 ฿91.6

121.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 Ft 4,438

$9.36 ฿313

46.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 Ft 616

$2.40 ฿80.3

-20.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 Ft 682

$1.01 ฿33.92

108.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 Ft 654

$1.61 ฿53.9

25.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.80 Ft 1,229

$1.52 ฿50.7

150.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 Ft 325

$1.28 ฿42.90

-21.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 318

$1.11 ฿37.22

-11.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 Ft 502

$0.72 ฿24.09

115.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 Ft 170

$0.52 ฿17.54

1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.84 Ft 2,532

$4.33 ฿145

81.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.97 Ft 1,928

$17.73 ฿593

-66.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 410

$1.63 ฿54.4

-22.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 Ft 527

$2.85 ฿95.3

-42.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 Ft 385

$0.85 ฿28.31

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.79 Ft 9,302

$53.9 ฿1,801

-46.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 Ft 979

$1.17 ฿39.18

158.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 Ft 449

$0.57 ฿19.00

143.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.38 Ft 5,938

$2.37 ฿79.2

675.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 Ft 619

$1.45 ฿48.32

31.72%

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

$28.9K Ft 9.3M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

41.17%

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

$33.7K Ft 10.9M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

27.19%

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

$153 Ft 49.5K

$62.3 ฿2,083

145.93%

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

$30.94 Ft 9,995

$12.27 ฿410

152.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.11 Ft 7,465

$19.97 ฿668

15.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.59 Ft 14.7K

$37.91 ฿1,267

20.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.51 Ft 6,302

$3.76 ฿126

418.88%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 Ft 2,513

$6.71 ฿224

15.95%

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

$493 Ft 159.3K

$797 ฿26.6K

-38.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K Ft 5.3M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

10.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.6 Ft 28.9K

$53.3 ฿1,780

68.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.81 Ft 8,986

$25.05 ฿837

11.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 Ft 32.0K

$91.6 ฿3,062

8.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 Ft 33.9K

$73.5 ฿2,455

43.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 Ft 198.1K

$464 ฿15.5K

32.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$560 Ft 181.0K

$305 ฿10.2K

83.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 Ft 248.7K

$915 ฿30.6K

-15.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$690 Ft 223.0K

$552 ฿18.5K

24.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,102 Ft 1.0M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

62.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,848 Ft 1.2M

$1,438 ฿48.1K

167.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,545 Ft 499.1K

$595 ฿19.9K

159.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

5.57

15.80%

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

Last update for Szentendre: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Szentendre

$560 38.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 45.6% $256

Groceries & Markets

Szentendre

$242 16.7%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 1.8% $4.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Szentendre

$207 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 54.4% $113

Eating Out

Szentendre

$196 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 59.6% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Szentendre

$145 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 24.3% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Szentendre

$61 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 16% $9.8

Getting Around

Szentendre

$44 3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 40.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $613 in Szentendre versus $464 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 run about 160% higher in Szentendre, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Szentendre versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $242 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Szentendre

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

17:48 5:48 PM

5 h ahead of Szentendre

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,444

127,240

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Szentendre Chiang Mai 7,730 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Szentendre
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

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

Szentendre costs about 55% 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 $2,182 per month in Szentendre and $1,408 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $493 per month in Szentendre and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 2% more in Szentendre, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Szentendre at $1,455. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Szentendre it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,455 in Szentendre. 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, Szentendre makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.