Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tapa and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,150 in Tapa, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. The total is higher in Tapa despite lower rent and utilities.

55

Cost of Living Index in Tapa
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Tapa Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Tapa

🇪🇪 Estonia

$1,150

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,150 per month in Tapa vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tapa $1,150
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,783 per month in Tapa vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tapa $1,783
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,415 per month in Tapa vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tapa $2,415
Chiang Mai $1,979

Tapa costs about 23% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tapa and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Tapa 16% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.72 €15.02

$2.24 ฿75.7

646.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 €62.6

$19.00 ฿642

266.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.39 €10.23

$5.55 ฿188

105.23%

Cappuccino

$4.11 €3.69

$1.67 ฿56.6

146.11%

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

$3.37 €3.03

$0.64 ฿21.56

426.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 €3.43

$0.31 ฿10.32

1132.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.45 €5.80

$2.36 ฿79.6

173.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.22 €6.49

$3.66 ฿124

97.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.10

$1.95 ฿65.8

-37.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.44 ฿48.51

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.33 ฿45.07

73.68%

Eggs

$2.87 €2.58

$2.28 ฿77.1

25.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.45 €11.19

$16.45 ฿556

-24.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.74 €7.85

$2.78 ฿94.0

214.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 €13.33

$9.31 ฿314

59.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 €1.92

$2.35 ฿79.5

-9.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 €1.30

$0.97 ฿32.82

49.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 €2.27

$1.60 ฿53.9

58.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.94 €2.64

$1.50 ฿50.7

96.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.28 ฿43.15

-14.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 €0.76

$1.10 ฿37.22

-22.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.81 €1.63

$0.71 ฿23.84

154.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.11

$0.49 ฿16.38

153.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.63 €5.96

$4.14 ฿140

60.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.17 €9.14

$17.52 ฿592

-41.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.88

$1.61 ฿54.5

29.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.20

$2.78 ฿94.0

-11.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 €3.29

$1.16 ฿39.08

215.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.89

$0.53 ฿17.82

86.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.45 €23.76

$2.42 ฿81.8

992.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.45 ฿48.93

32.41%

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

$27.5K €24.7K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

30.52%

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

$29.6K €26.6K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

9.79%

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

$312 €281

$62.2 ฿2,100

402.49%

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

$18.00 €16.17

$12.17 ฿411

47.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.38 €32.68

$20.12 ฿680

80.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$11.68 €10.49

$6.49 ฿219

79.97%

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

$462 €415

$736 ฿24.9K

-37.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K €10.7K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-18.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €98.7

$53.4 ฿1,802

105.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.38 €44.36

$24.64 ฿832

100.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €95.2

$91.5 ฿3,089

15.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €108

$71.9 ฿2,429

67.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.93

5.57

-29.44%

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

Last update for Tapa: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tapa

$367 31.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 74.2% $272

Eating Out

Tapa

$293 25.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 73.5% $215

Groceries & Markets

Tapa

$285 24.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 17.7% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Tapa

$174 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 37.4% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Tapa

$23 * 2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 115% $27

Getting Around

Tapa

$8.6 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 614% $53

Accommodation & Living

Tapa

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Tapa versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $285 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇪 Tapa

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:21 10:21 PM

03:21 3:21 AM

5 h ahead of Tapa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,500

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

Tapa Chiang Mai 7,260 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Tapa
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

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

Tapa costs about 23% 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 $1,725 per month in Tapa and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Tapa and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Tapa, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,150 in Tapa and $936 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 $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,150 in Tapa. 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.