Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tarxien and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,952 in Tarxien, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Tarxien
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Tarxien Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Tarxien

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,952

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,952 per month in Tarxien vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tarxien $1,952
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,102 per month in Tarxien vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tarxien $3,102
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,253 per month in Tarxien vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tarxien $4,253
Chiang Mai $1,979

Tarxien costs about 109% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tarxien sits 43% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.69 €20.38

$2.24 ฿75.7

912.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 €80.7

$19.00 ฿642

373.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.30 €11.94

$5.55 ฿188

139.64%

Cappuccino

$3.26 €2.93

$1.67 ฿56.6

95.21%

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

$2.36 €2.12

$0.64 ฿21.56

268.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 €1.72

$0.31 ฿10.32

519.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.53 €4.96

$2.36 ฿79.6

134.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 €5.87

$3.66 ฿124

78.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.95 ฿65.8

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.27

$1.44 ฿48.51

-2.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.44 €3.09

$1.33 ฿45.07

158.65%

Eggs

$4.42 €3.97

$2.28 ฿77.1

93.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.21 €9.17

$16.45 ฿556

-37.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.95 €10.73

$2.78 ฿94.0

329.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.07 €16.23

$9.31 ฿314

94.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.73 €3.35

$2.35 ฿79.5

58.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 €2.39

$0.97 ฿32.82

175.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.98 €3.58

$1.60 ฿53.9

148.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.83 €3.44

$1.50 ฿50.7

155.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.28 ฿43.15

49.22%

Onion (1kg)

$3.28 €2.95

$1.10 ฿37.22

198.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.23 €2.00

$0.71 ฿23.84

214.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.35

$0.49 ฿16.38

206.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.29 €5.65

$4.14 ฿140

51.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.10 €5.48

$17.52 ฿592

-65.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 €2.22

$1.61 ฿54.5

54.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 €2.04

$2.78 ฿94.0

-18.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.11 €1.89

$0.87 ฿29.33

142.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.87 €3.48

$1.16 ฿39.08

233.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 €1.59

$0.53 ฿17.82

233.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.80 €29.46

$2.42 ฿81.8

1255.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.45 ฿48.93

1.38%

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

$28.3K €25.4K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

34.49%

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

$39.4K €35.4K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

46.34%

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

$155 €139

$62.2 ฿2,100

148.83%

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

$30.62 €27.51

$12.17 ฿411

151.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.10 €26.14

$20.12 ฿680

44.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.3 €58.7

$37.31 ฿1,260

75.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 €10.22

$6.49 ฿219

75.35%

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

$273 €245

$736 ฿24.9K

-62.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K €10.8K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-18.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.2 €51.4

$53.4 ฿1,802

7.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.5 €60.7

$24.64 ฿832

174.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 €102

$91.5 ฿3,089

24.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$71.9 ฿2,429

77.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,136 €1,020

$482 ฿16.3K

135.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$804 €722

$309 ฿10.4K

160.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 €1,534

$1,006 ฿34.0K

69.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 €1,362

$633 ฿21.4K

139.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,169 €3,745

$2,363 ฿79.8K

76.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,223 €2,896

$1,589 ฿53.7K

102.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

5.57

-27.29%

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

Last update for Tarxien: 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

Tarxien

$804 41.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 61.6% $495

Groceries & Markets

Tarxien

$341 17.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 31.3% $107

Eating Out

Tarxien

$318 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 75.6% $241

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tarxien

$214 11%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 55.9% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Tarxien

$165 8.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 34.1% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Tarxien

$88 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 42.9% $38

Getting Around

Tarxien

$21 * 1.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 190% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,136 in Tarxien 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 $90 in Tarxien versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $341 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Tarxien

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:51 10:51 PM

04:51 4:51 AM

6 h ahead of Tarxien

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,600

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

On the map

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Between locations

Tarxien Chiang Mai 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tarxien
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

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

Tarxien costs about 109% 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 $2,928 per month in Tarxien 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 $1,136 in Tarxien.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Tarxien 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 46% more in Tarxien, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,952 in Tarxien 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 $1,952 in Tarxien. 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.