Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thiva and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,156 in Thiva, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Thiva
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Thiva Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Thiva

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,156

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,156 per month in Thiva vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Thiva $1,156
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,580 per month in Thiva vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Thiva $1,580
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,005 per month in Thiva vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Thiva $2,005
Chiang Mai $1,979

Thiva costs about 24% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Thiva and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Thiva 15% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.12 €9.96

$2.24 ฿75.5

396.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.4 €53.2

$19.00 ฿640

212.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.74 €6.04

$5.55 ฿187

21.44%

Cappuccino

$2.58 €2.31

$1.67 ฿56.4

54.49%

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

$2.41 €2.16

$0.64 ฿21.51

276.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 €0.43

$0.31 ฿10.29

54.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.51 €4.04

$2.36 ฿79.5

91.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 €2.46

$3.66 ฿123

-25.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.95 ฿65.7

-15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.44 ฿48.41

-0.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 €2.27

$1.33 ฿44.97

90.23%

Eggs

$5.01 €4.49

$2.28 ฿77.0

119.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.42 €11.13

$16.45 ฿554

-24.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.23 €9.17

$2.78 ฿93.8

267.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.31 €12.82

$9.31 ฿314

53.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 €1.53

$2.35 ฿79.3

-27.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 €1.73

$0.97 ฿32.75

98.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.08 €0.97

$1.60 ฿53.8

-32.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.50 ฿50.6

24.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 €0.85

$1.28 ฿43.06

-26.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.10 ฿37.14

8.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.71 ฿23.79

23.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.62

$0.49 ฿16.34

40.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.62 €4.14

$4.14 ฿140

11.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.24 €6.48

$17.52 ฿590

-58.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.60

$1.61 ฿54.4

10.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.68

$2.78 ฿93.8

-32.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.31 €1.18

$0.87 ฿29.27

50.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 €3.29

$1.16 ฿39.00

216.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 €1.02

$0.53 ฿17.78

113.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 €15.30

$2.42 ฿81.6

605.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.88

$1.45 ฿48.82

44.14%

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

$28.4K €25.5K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

34.99%

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

$24.3K €21.8K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-9.78%

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

$173 €155

$62.2 ฿2,095

178.40%

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

$25.12 €22.51

$12.17 ฿410

106.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.42 €24.57

$20.12 ฿678

36.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.31 €43.29

$37.31 ฿1,257

29.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.47 €22.82

$3.77 ฿127

575.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 €7.06

$6.49 ฿219

21.42%

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

$332 €297

$736 ฿24.8K

-54.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,653 €4,170

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-68.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 €45.28

$53.4 ฿1,799

-5.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.90 €29.48

$24.64 ฿830

33.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 €74.0

$91.5 ฿3,083

-9.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €97.1

$71.9 ฿2,424

50.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$329 €295

$482 ฿16.3K

-31.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$278 €249

$309 ฿10.4K

-10.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 €559

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-37.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,707 €1,529

$2,363 ฿79.6K

-27.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,414 €1,267

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-11.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,141 €1,022

$590 ฿19.9K

93.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.38

5.57

-21.36%

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

Last update for Thiva: 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

Thiva

$278 24.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 11.1% $31

Groceries & Markets

Thiva

$270 23.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 13.3% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thiva

$226 19.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 58.1% $131

Eating Out

Thiva

$180 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 56.8% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Thiva

$124 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 12% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Thiva

$64 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 21.5% $14

Getting Around

Thiva

$15 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 321% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $329 in Thiva 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 run about 93% higher in Thiva. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Thiva versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $270 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Thiva

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:23 12:23 PM

17:23 5:23 PM

5 h ahead of Thiva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,883

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

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

From you

Thiva
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

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

Thiva costs about 24% 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 $1,734 per month in Thiva 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 Thiva, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $329 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59 in Thiva 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 15% more in Thiva, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,156 in Thiva 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 $1,156 in Thiva. 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.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Thiva makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.