Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Valletta and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $2,260 in Valletta, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Valletta
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Valletta Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Valletta

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,260

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,260 per month in Valletta vs $906 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Valletta $2,260
Chiang Mai $906

A couple spends around $3,486 per month in Valletta vs $1,385 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Valletta $3,486
Chiang Mai $1,385

A family of three spends $4,711 per month in Valletta vs $1,864 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Valletta $4,711
Chiang Mai $1,864

Valletta costs about 149% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Valletta sits 69% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.88 €20.42

$2.13 ฿71.4

974.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.6 €80.0

$19.40 ฿649

361.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.64 €12.18

$5.47 ฿183

149.36%

Cappuccino

$3.17 €2.83

$1.68 ฿56.4

88.69%

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

$2.34 €2.09

$0.66 ฿22.10

254.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.78

$0.34 ฿11.52

485.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.52 €4.92

$2.42 ฿81.0

128.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.89 €6.15

$3.73 ฿125

84.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 €1.22

$2.06 ฿68.9

-33.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.46 ฿48.78

-2.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.48 €3.10

$1.35 ฿45.09

157.78%

Eggs

$4.33 €3.86

$2.27 ฿76.0

90.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.41 €9.29

$16.31 ฿546

-36.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.06 €10.76

$2.70 ฿90.3

346.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.93 €16.00

$9.20 ฿308

94.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 €3.30

$2.39 ฿80.1

54.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.04 ฿34.66

156.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.87 €3.45

$1.60 ฿53.7

141.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.75 €3.35

$1.44 ฿48.37

160.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$1.30 ฿43.59

44.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.28 €2.93

$1.11 ฿37.29

195.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 €2.04

$0.70 ฿23.55

227.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.35

$0.51 ฿16.99

196.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.35 €5.67

$4.13 ฿138

53.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.86 €5.23

$17.78 ฿595

-67.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.13

$1.63 ฿54.7

46.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.14

$2.87 ฿96.0

-16.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.88 €2.57

$0.86 ฿28.76

234.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.88 €3.46

$1.22 ฿40.81

218.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 €1.65

$0.56 ฿18.81

230.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.52 €29.02

$2.31 ฿77.5

1307.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.50 ฿50.2

-2.00%

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

$28.3K €25.2K

$20.9K ฿698.3K

35.62%

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

$39.1K €34.9K

$26.7K ฿895.0K

46.17%

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

$154 €138

$61.3 ฿2,051

151.65%

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

$31.14 €27.79

$12.50 ฿419

149.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.25 €26.10

$20.36 ฿682

43.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.9 €53.4

$37.94 ฿1,270

57.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.39 €18.19

$3.77 ฿126

440.85%

Cinema Ticket

$11.35 €10.13

$6.60 ฿221

71.97%

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

$276 €246

$774 ฿25.9K

-64.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K €11.0K

$14.4K ฿483.2K

-14.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.1 €50.9

$54.8 ฿1,835

4.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.6 €62.2

$25.26 ฿846

175.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €100

$90.6 ฿3,032

24.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$73.3 ฿2,453

77.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,432 €1,278

$459 ฿15.4K

212.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,096 €978

$294 ฿9,835

272.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,321 €2,964

$919 ฿30.8K

261.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,052 €1,831

$552 ฿18.5K

271.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,252 €4,687

$1,917 ฿64.2K

173.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,997 €3,567

$1,445 ฿48.4K

176.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,012 €1,796

$592 ฿19.8K

239.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.05

5.57

-27.29%

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

Last update for Valletta: October 5, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Valletta

$1.1K 48.8%

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8% 73.2% $802

Groceries & Markets

Valletta

$341 15.2%

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6% 30.8% $105

Eating Out

Valletta

$321 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4% 75.9% $243

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Valletta

$215 9.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 56.1% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Valletta

$166 7.4%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9% 34% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Valletta

$83 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 38.1% $31

Getting Around

Valletta

$25 * 1.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 146% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,432 in Valletta versus $459 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 240% higher in Valletta, 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 $90.0 in Valletta versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $341 vs $236 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Valletta

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:40 12:40 PM

17:40 5:40 PM

5 h ahead of Valletta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,700 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Valletta Chiang Mai 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Valletta
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

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

Valletta costs about 149% 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 $3,390 per month in Valletta and $1,359 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90.0 in Valletta and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Valletta, 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 $906, than in Valletta at $2,260. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Valletta it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $906 versus $2,260 in Valletta. 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, Valletta makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.