Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tubingen and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,339 in Tubingen, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Tubingen
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Tubingen Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Tubingen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,339

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,339 per month in Tubingen vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tubingen $2,339
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,398 per month in Tubingen vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tubingen $3,398
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,458 per month in Tubingen vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tubingen $4,458
Chiang Mai $1,979

Tubingen costs about 150% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tubingen sits 72% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.91 €15.11

$2.24 ฿75.5

654.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.2 €64.5

$19.00 ฿640

280.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.33 €11.91

$5.55 ฿187

140.18%

Cappuccino

$4.39 €3.92

$1.67 ฿56.4

162.87%

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

$3.65 €3.26

$0.64 ฿21.51

470.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 €3.06

$0.31 ฿10.29

1006.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.04

$2.36 ฿79.5

138.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.87 €4.35

$3.66 ฿123

33.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.95 ฿65.7

-36.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 €1.89

$1.44 ฿48.41

47.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.86 €3.44

$1.33 ฿44.97

190.23%

Eggs

$3.41 €3.05

$2.28 ฿77.0

49.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.90 €13.31

$16.45 ฿554

-9.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.47 €10.25

$2.78 ฿93.8

312.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.49 €16.52

$9.31 ฿314

98.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 €2.82

$2.35 ฿79.3

34.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$0.97 ฿32.75

106.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 €2.17

$1.60 ฿53.8

51.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.99 €4.46

$1.50 ฿50.6

232.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.28 ฿43.06

-5.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.10 ฿37.14

8.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 €1.42

$0.71 ฿23.79

123.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.49 ฿16.34

55.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.89 €8.83

$4.14 ฿140

138.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.57 €5.87

$17.52 ฿590

-62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.61 ฿54.4

-26.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.78 ฿93.8

-45.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.69 €3.30

$0.87 ฿29.27

324.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.6 €59.5

$54.1 ฿1,823

23.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.20 €4.65

$1.16 ฿39.00

348.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.00 €2.68

$0.53 ฿17.78

466.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.10 €38.50

$2.42 ฿81.6

1680.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.45 ฿48.82

39.31%

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

$30.0K €26.8K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

42.46%

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

$37.9K €33.9K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

40.72%

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

$387 €346

$62.2 ฿2,095

522.74%

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

$32.69 €29.20

$12.17 ฿410

168.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 €46.86

$20.12 ฿678

160.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.90 €32.07

$37.31 ฿1,257

-3.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.89 €27.59

$3.77 ฿127

719.36%

Cinema Ticket

$12.53 €11.19

$6.49 ฿219

93.07%

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

$472 €422

$736 ฿24.8K

-35.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.6K €12.1K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-7.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 €101

$53.4 ฿1,799

111.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.97 €33.02

$24.64 ฿830

50.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 €111

$91.5 ฿3,083

35.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$214 €191

$71.9 ฿2,424

197.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$997 €890

$482 ฿16.3K

106.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$864 €772

$309 ฿10.4K

179.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 €1,639

$1,006 ฿33.9K

82.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 €1,238

$633 ฿21.3K

118.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,247 €4,687

$2,363 ฿79.6K

122.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,906 €4,382

$1,589 ฿53.6K

208.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,426 €3,060

$590 ฿19.9K

480.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.95

5.57

-29.08%

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

Last update for Tubingen: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tubingen

$864 36.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 64.2% $555

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tubingen

$472 20.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 80% $378

Groceries & Markets

Tubingen

$326 14%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 28.2% $92

Eating Out

Tubingen

$294 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 73.6% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Tubingen

$220 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 50.6% $111

Getting Around

Tubingen

$102 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 39.6% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Tubingen

$61 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 17.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $997 in Tubingen 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 in Tubingen are about 5.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $72 in Tubingen versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Tubingen

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:37 3:37 AM

09:37 9:37 AM

6 h ahead of Tubingen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,447

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Tubingen Chiang Mai 8,450 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Tubingen
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

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

Tubingen costs about 150% 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 $3,508 per month in Tubingen 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 $997 in Tubingen.

Kindergarten costs $472 per month in Tubingen and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Tubingen, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,339 in Tubingen 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 $2,339 in Tubingen. 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, Tubingen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.