Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Utena and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,347 in Utena, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Utena
Learn more

Utena Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Utena

🇱🇹 Lithuania

$1,347

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,347 per month in Utena vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Utena $1,347
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,040 per month in Utena vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Utena $2,040
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,733 per month in Utena vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Utena $2,733
Chiang Mai $1,979

Utena costs about 44% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.16 €10.85

$2.24 ฿75.6

442.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.2 €45.71

$19.00 ฿641

169.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.64 €5.92

$5.55 ฿187

19.64%

Cappuccino

$3.05 €2.72

$1.67 ฿56.5

82.63%

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

$2.74 €2.44

$0.64 ฿21.53

328.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.72

$0.31 ฿10.30

522.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.60 €5.00

$2.36 ฿79.5

137.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 €4.36

$3.66 ฿124

33.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.95 ฿65.7

-36.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.44 ฿48.45

1.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.33 ฿45.01

30.83%

Eggs

$2.82 €2.52

$2.28 ฿77.0

23.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.01 €8.93

$16.45 ฿555

-39.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.86 €5.23

$2.78 ฿93.8

110.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.39 €8.38

$9.31 ฿314

0.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.60 €1.42

$2.35 ฿79.4

-31.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 €1.29

$0.97 ฿32.78

48.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.60 ฿53.9

2.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.93 €2.62

$1.50 ฿50.6

95.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 €0.65

$1.28 ฿43.10

-42.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.10 ฿37.17

-10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$0.71 ฿23.81

116.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.49 ฿16.36

71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.74 €5.12

$4.14 ฿140

38.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.26 €7.37

$17.52 ฿591

-52.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.61 ฿54.5

-0.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$2.78 ฿93.9

-38.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.16 €1.03

$0.87 ฿29.29

33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.27 €27.00

$54.1 ฿1,825

-44.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 €2.75

$1.16 ฿39.03

166.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 €0.78

$0.53 ฿17.79

64.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.27 €11.84

$2.42 ฿81.7

448.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.45 ฿48.87

23.45%

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

$27.2K €24.3K

$21.1K ฿710.3K

29.32%

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

$27.9K €24.9K

$26.9K ฿908.7K

3.48%

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

$200 €179

$62.2 ฿2,097

222.42%

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

$13.36 €11.92

$12.17 ฿410

9.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.40 €10.17

$20.12 ฿679

-43.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.64 €31.80

$37.31 ฿1,259

-4.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.52 €21.88

$3.77 ฿127

550.40%

Cinema Ticket

$8.71 €7.77

$6.49 ฿219

34.21%

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

$508 €454

$736 ฿24.8K

-30.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,209 €8,216

$14.8K ฿498.0K

-37.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$135 €120

$53.4 ฿1,800

152.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.0 €58.0

$24.64 ฿831

163.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.9 €72.2

$91.5 ฿3,086

-11.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$183 €164

$71.9 ฿2,426

155.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$583 €520

$482 ฿16.3K

20.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 €347

$309 ฿10.4K

25.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$838 €748

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-16.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$636 €568

$633 ฿21.4K

0.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,101 €2,767

$2,363 ฿79.7K

31.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,927 €1,720

$1,589 ฿53.6K

21.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,189 €1,061

$590 ฿19.9K

101.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.97

5.57

-28.73%

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

Last update for Utena: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Utena

$389 28.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 20.5% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Utena

$225 16.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 58.1% $131

Groceries & Markets

Utena

$219 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 7% $15

Eating Out

Utena

$210 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 63.1% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Utena

$209 15.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 48% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Utena

$53 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 5.2% $2.8

Getting Around

Utena

$42 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 44.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $583 in Utena 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 Utena are about 2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51 in Utena versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $219 in Utena vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Utena wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇹 Utena

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:59 5:59 PM

22:59 10:59 PM

5 h ahead of Utena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,997

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Utena Chiang Mai 7,250 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Utena
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

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

Utena costs about 44% 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 $2,021 per month in Utena 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 $583 in Utena.

Kindergarten costs $508 per month in Utena and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Utena – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,347 in Utena 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 $1,347 in Utena. 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, Utena makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.