Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Toulouse and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,987 in Toulouse, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Toulouse
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Toulouse Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Toulouse

🇫🇷 France

$1,987

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,987 per month in Toulouse vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Toulouse $1,987
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,020 per month in Toulouse vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Toulouse $3,020
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,053 per month in Toulouse vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Toulouse $4,053
Chiang Mai $1,914

Toulouse costs about 112% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Toulouse sits 47% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.82

$2.26 ฿75.4

637.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.4 €68.8

$19.18 ฿641

303.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.40 €11.92

$5.59 ฿187

139.71%

Cappuccino

$4.19 €3.73

$1.72 ฿57.6

143.60%

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

$4.03 €3.59

$0.64 ฿21.54

529.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 €2.60

$0.33 ฿11.18

784.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.27 €6.47

$2.36 ฿78.7

208.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.80 €6.05

$3.90 ฿130

74.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$2.05 ฿68.6

-30.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.40 ฿46.70

51.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 €2.30

$1.28 ฿42.89

102.34%

Eggs

$4.66 €4.14

$2.25 ฿75.3

107.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.85 €20.33

$16.94 ฿566

34.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.75 €13.12

$2.74 ฿91.6

438.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.83 €18.53

$9.36 ฿313

122.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 €2.99

$2.40 ฿80.3

40.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.01 ฿33.92

151.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 €2.97

$1.61 ฿53.9

107.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.43 €3.05

$1.52 ฿50.7

125.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$1.28 ฿42.90

86.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.83 €2.52

$1.11 ฿37.22

154.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 €1.35

$0.72 ฿24.09

109.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 €0.81

$0.52 ฿17.54

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.73 €12.21

$4.33 ฿145

217.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.99 €8.00

$17.73 ฿593

-49.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.63 ฿54.4

111.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 €3.01

$2.85 ฿95.3

18.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 €1.96

$0.85 ฿28.31

160.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.9 €56.0

$53.9 ฿1,801

16.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.04 €7.15

$1.17 ฿39.18

587.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.34 €2.08

$0.57 ฿19.00

310.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.12 €33.01

$2.37 ฿79.2

1466.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.45 ฿48.32

53.10%

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

$34.8K €31.0K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

69.98%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

26.07%

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

$218 €194

$62.3 ฿2,083

249.27%

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

$13.90 €12.36

$12.27 ฿410

13.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.02 €29.37

$19.97 ฿668

65.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.27 €33.15

$37.91 ฿1,267

-1.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.50 €19.12

$3.76 ฿126

471.81%

Cinema Ticket

$13.36 €11.88

$6.71 ฿224

99.11%

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

$1,045 €930

$797 ฿26.6K

31.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K €8,940

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-32.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 €101

$53.3 ฿1,780

112.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.8 €46.93

$25.05 ฿837

110.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 €102

$91.6 ฿3,062

25.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$160 €143

$73.5 ฿2,455

118.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$892 €793

$464 ฿15.5K

92.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$664 €590

$305 ฿10.2K

117.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,430 €1,272

$915 ฿30.6K

56.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,068 €950

$552 ฿18.5K

93.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,445 €5,733

$1,912 ฿63.9K

237.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,239 €2,881

$1,438 ฿48.1K

125.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,902 €2,581

$595 ฿19.9K

387.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

5.57

-31.96%

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

Last update for Toulouse: 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

Toulouse

$664 33.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 54.1% $359

Groceries & Markets

Toulouse

$404 20.3%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 41% $166

Eating Out

Toulouse

$302 15.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 73.8% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Toulouse

$265 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 64.3% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Toulouse

$198 10%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 44.8% $89

Getting Around

Toulouse

$92 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 33% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Toulouse

$64 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 19.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $892 in Toulouse 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 388% higher in Toulouse, 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 $77.0 in Toulouse versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $404 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Toulouse

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

10:28 10:28 AM

5 h ahead of Toulouse

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

504,078

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

On the map

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Between locations

Toulouse Chiang Mai 9,160 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Toulouse
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

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

Toulouse costs about 112% 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 $2,981 per month in Toulouse 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 $1,045 per month in Toulouse 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 70% more in Toulouse, 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 Toulouse at $1,987. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Toulouse it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,987 in Toulouse. 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, Toulouse makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.