Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thessaloniki and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,649 in Thessaloniki, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Thessaloniki
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Thessaloniki Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Thessaloniki

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,649

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,649 per month in Thessaloniki vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Thessaloniki $1,649
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,537 per month in Thessaloniki vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Thessaloniki $2,537
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,425 per month in Thessaloniki vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Thessaloniki $3,425
Chiang Mai $1,914

Thessaloniki costs about 76% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Thessaloniki sits 22% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.01 €15.13

$2.26 ฿75.4

652.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 €59.8

$19.18 ฿641

250.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.20 €9.96

$5.59 ฿187

100.36%

Cappuccino

$4.29 €3.82

$1.72 ฿57.6

149.42%

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

$2.90 €2.58

$0.64 ฿21.54

353.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.67

$0.33 ฿11.18

130.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.85

$2.36 ฿78.7

130.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 €5.81

$3.90 ฿130

67.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$2.05 ฿68.6

-17.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.40 ฿46.70

27.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.71 €3.30

$1.28 ฿42.89

189.84%

Eggs

$5.50 €4.89

$2.25 ฿75.3

144.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.29 €12.71

$16.94 ฿566

-15.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.48 €10.21

$2.74 ฿91.6

318.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.35 €16.32

$9.36 ฿313

96.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 €2.23

$2.40 ฿80.3

4.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.01 ฿33.92

122.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.61 ฿53.9

31.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.79 €2.48

$1.52 ฿50.7

83.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 €1.15

$1.28 ฿42.90

1.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.11 ฿37.22

9.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 €1.42

$0.72 ฿24.09

122.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.52 ฿17.54

80.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 €5.11

$4.33 ฿145

32.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.93 €8.83

$17.73 ฿593

-43.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.63 ฿54.4

26.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 €2.79

$2.85 ฿95.3

10.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.65 €0.57

$0.85 ฿28.31

-23.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.07 €16.07

$53.9 ฿1,801

-66.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.07 €3.62

$1.17 ฿39.18

247.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €1.01

$0.57 ฿19.00

98.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.79 €14.93

$2.37 ฿79.2

608.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.45 ฿48.32

55.17%

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

$28.0K €24.9K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

36.63%

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

$31.0K €27.6K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

16.99%

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

$215 €191

$62.3 ฿2,083

244.38%

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

$23.24 €20.67

$12.27 ฿410

89.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.60 €27.22

$19.97 ฿668

53.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 €46.32

$37.91 ฿1,267

37.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.27 €14.47

$3.76 ฿126

332.71%

Cinema Ticket

$10.36 €9.22

$6.71 ฿224

54.40%

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

$469 €417

$797 ฿26.6K

-41.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,075 €8,073

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-38.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.7 €84.2

$53.3 ฿1,780

77.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.40 €39.50

$25.05 ฿837

77.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 €111

$91.6 ฿3,062

36.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$73.5 ฿2,455

75.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$622 €554

$464 ฿15.5K

34.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$489 €435

$305 ฿10.2K

60.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 €962

$915 ฿30.6K

18.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$838 €745

$552 ฿18.5K

51.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,679 €3,273

$1,912 ฿63.9K

92.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,799 €2,490

$1,438 ฿48.1K

94.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,177 €1,047

$595 ฿19.9K

97.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.34

5.57

-4.13%

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

Last update for Thessaloniki: 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

Thessaloniki

$489 29.6%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 37.7% $184

Groceries & Markets

Thessaloniki

$336 20.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 29.1% $98

Eating Out

Thessaloniki

$276 16.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 71.4% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thessaloniki

$268 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 64.8% $174

Clothing & Footwear

Thessaloniki

$177 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 38.1% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Thessaloniki

$73 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 29.5% $21

Getting Around

Thessaloniki

$30 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 102% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $622 in Thessaloniki 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 98% higher in Thessaloniki, 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 $67.0 in Thessaloniki versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Thessaloniki

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:29 9:29 AM

13:29 1:29 PM

4 h ahead of Thessaloniki

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

790,824

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Thessaloniki Chiang Mai 7,500 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

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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

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

Thessaloniki costs about 76% 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 $2,474 per month in Thessaloniki 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 $469 per month in Thessaloniki 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 41% more in Thessaloniki, 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 Thessaloniki at $1,649. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Thessaloniki it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,649 in Thessaloniki. 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, Thessaloniki makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.