Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varkaus and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,951 in Varkaus, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Varkaus
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Varkaus Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Varkaus

🇫🇮 Finland

$1,951

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,951 per month in Varkaus vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Varkaus $1,951
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,965 per month in Varkaus vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Varkaus $2,965
Chiang Mai $1,457

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

Varkaus $3,979
Chiang Mai $1,979

Varkaus costs about 109% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Varkaus sits 43% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.91 €14.29

$2.24 ฿75.7

610.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.4 €89.3

$19.00 ฿642

422.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.36 €11.10

$5.55 ฿188

122.70%

Cappuccino

$5.48 €4.92

$1.67 ฿56.6

228.14%

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

$3.52 €3.17

$0.64 ฿21.56

450.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 €2.54

$0.31 ฿10.32

812.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.10 €8.17

$2.36 ฿79.6

285.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.60 €7.73

$3.66 ฿124

134.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 €1.30

$1.95 ฿65.8

-26.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 €2.64

$1.44 ฿48.51

104.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.57 €3.20

$1.33 ฿45.07

168.42%

Eggs

$4.01 €3.60

$2.28 ฿77.1

75.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.61 €9.53

$16.45 ฿556

-35.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.56 €14.88

$2.78 ฿94.0

495.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.13

$9.31 ฿314

116.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 €2.34

$2.35 ฿79.5

11.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.93

$0.97 ฿32.82

121.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.43 €3.08

$1.60 ฿53.9

114.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.01 €4.50

$1.50 ฿50.7

234.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.28 ฿43.15

-5.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.10 ฿37.22

65.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 €2.04

$0.71 ฿23.84

221.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 €1.63

$0.49 ฿16.38

269.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.36 €11.10

$4.14 ฿140

198.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.46 €12.09

$17.52 ฿592

-23.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.65 €3.27

$1.61 ฿54.5

126.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 €4.41

$2.78 ฿94.0

76.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.36 €3.02

$0.87 ฿29.33

286.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.5 €55.2

$54.1 ฿1,827

13.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.51 €8.54

$1.16 ฿39.08

719.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 €1.62

$0.53 ฿17.82

239.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.7 €45.57

$2.42 ฿81.8

1996.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 €2.12

$1.45 ฿48.93

62.76%

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

$36.9K €33.1K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

75.17%

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

$37.7K €33.9K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

40.08%

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

$107 €95.9

$62.2 ฿2,100

71.66%

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

$26.75 €24.03

$12.17 ฿411

119.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.89 €25.95

$20.12 ฿680

43.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.81 €34.86

$37.31 ฿1,260

4.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.47 €21.98

$3.77 ฿127

549.07%

Cinema Ticket

$17.97 €16.14

$6.49 ฿219

176.89%

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

$727 €653

$736 ฿24.9K

-1.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K €11.4K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-14.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$121 €109

$53.4 ฿1,802

126.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 €50.7

$24.64 ฿832

129.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 €81.8

$91.5 ฿3,089

-0.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$176 €158

$71.9 ฿2,429

144.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 €691

$482 ฿16.3K

59.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$695 €624

$309 ฿10.4K

124.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,206 €1,084

$1,006 ฿34.0K

19.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$926 €832

$633 ฿21.4K

46.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,234 €3,803

$2,363 ฿79.8K

79.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,886 €1,694

$1,589 ฿53.7K

18.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.59

5.57

-35.55%

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

Last update for Varkaus: 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

Varkaus

$695 35.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 55.5% $386

Groceries & Markets

Varkaus

$407 20.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 42.4% $173

Eating Out

Varkaus

$318 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 75.6% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Varkaus

$200 10.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 45.7% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varkaus

$162 8.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 41.8% $68

Getting Around

Varkaus

$93 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 34.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Varkaus

$75 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 32.7% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Varkaus 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99 in Varkaus versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $407 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇮 Varkaus

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:00 1:00 AM

06:00 6:00 AM

5 h ahead of Varkaus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,257

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Varkaus Chiang Mai 7,190 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Varkaus
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

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

Varkaus costs about 109% 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 $2,926 per month in Varkaus 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 $769 in Varkaus.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Varkaus 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 74% more in Varkaus, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,951 in Varkaus 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 $1,951 in Varkaus. 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.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 52% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.