Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valence and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,594 in Valence, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Valence
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Valence Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Valence

🇫🇷 France

$1,594

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Valence vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Valence $1,594
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,337 per month in Valence vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Valence $2,337
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,079 per month in Valence vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Valence $3,079
Chiang Mai $1,979

Valence costs about 70% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Valence sits 17% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.56 €12.14

$2.24 ฿75.6

505.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.55 €35.42

$19.00 ฿641

108.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.56 €8.56

$5.55 ฿187

72.25%

Cappuccino

$3.72 €3.33

$1.67 ฿56.5

122.75%

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

$2.98 €2.67

$0.64 ฿21.54

365.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.79

$0.31 ฿10.31

545.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.74 €5.14

$2.36 ฿79.5

143.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.55 €4.07

$3.66 ฿124

24.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.95 ฿65.7

-41.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.44 ฿48.46

-23.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.33 ฿45.03

69.92%

Eggs

$3.78 €3.38

$2.28 ฿77.1

65.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.42 €16.50

$16.45 ฿555

11.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.75 €12.31

$2.78 ฿93.9

394.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.90 €22.30

$9.31 ฿314

167.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 €2.68

$2.35 ฿79.4

27.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.14

$0.97 ฿32.79

146.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 €2.59

$1.60 ฿53.9

80.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.97 €3.56

$1.50 ฿50.6

164.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 €2.08

$1.28 ฿43.11

82.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 €2.64

$1.10 ฿37.18

168.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 €1.55

$0.71 ฿23.82

143.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 €0.19

$0.49 ฿16.36

-57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.05 €12.58

$4.14 ฿140

239.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.28 €2.94

$17.52 ฿591

-81.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.80 €3.40

$1.61 ฿54.5

136.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 €2.50

$2.78 ฿93.9

0.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 €1.36

$0.87 ฿29.30

74.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.60 €20.24

$54.1 ฿1,825

-58.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.94 €4.42

$1.16 ฿39.04

325.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 €1.47

$0.53 ฿17.80

209.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.99 €29.54

$2.42 ฿81.7

1263.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 €2.00

$1.45 ฿48.88

53.79%

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

$34.3K €30.7K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

62.92%

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

$38.4K €34.4K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

42.59%

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

$137 €123

$62.2 ฿2,098

120.60%

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

$11.35 €10.16

$12.17 ฿411

-6.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.40 €24.54

$20.12 ฿679

36.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.80 €24.90

$37.31 ฿1,259

-25.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.82 €15.07

$3.77 ฿127

346.15%

Cinema Ticket

$13.76 €12.32

$6.49 ฿219

112.02%

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

$729 €653

$736 ฿24.8K

-0.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K €11.5K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-12.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.3 €69.2

$53.4 ฿1,801

44.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.7 €58.8

$24.64 ฿831

166.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.6

$91.5 ฿3,087

12.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$179 €160

$71.9 ฿2,427

148.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$587 €526

$482 ฿16.3K

21.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$531 €476

$309 ฿10.4K

71.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$838 €751

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-16.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 €647

$633 ฿21.4K

14.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,116 €2,791

$2,363 ฿79.7K

31.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,705 €2,422

$1,589 ฿53.6K

70.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,599 €2,328

$590 ฿19.9K

340.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

5.57

-31.60%

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

Last update for Valence: 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

Valence

$531 33.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 41.8% $222

Groceries & Markets

Valence

$359 22.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 34.8% $125

Eating Out

Valence

$239 15%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 67.6% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Valence

$191 12%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 43.2% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valence

$176 11%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 46.3% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Valence

$55 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 9.1% $5

Getting Around

Valence

$42 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 46.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $587 in Valence 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 Valence are about 4.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Valence versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $359 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Valence

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

11:26 11:26 AM

6 h ahead of Valence

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,483

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Valence Chiang Mai 8,860 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Valence
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

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

Valence costs about 70% 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 $2,391 per month in Valence 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 $587 in Valence.

Kindergarten costs $729 per month in Valence 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 53% more in Valence, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,594 in Valence 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 $1,594 in Valence. 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, Valence makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.