Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vila Nova de Gaia and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,747 in Vila Nova de Gaia, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Vila Nova de Gaia
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Vila Nova de Gaia Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Vila Nova de Gaia

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,747

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,747 per month in Vila Nova de Gaia vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Vila Nova de Gaia $1,747
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,639 per month in Vila Nova de Gaia vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Vila Nova de Gaia $2,639
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,530 per month in Vila Nova de Gaia vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Vila Nova de Gaia $3,530
Chiang Mai $1,979

Vila Nova de Gaia costs about 87% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Vila Nova de Gaia sits 28% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.21 €11.83

$2.24 ฿75.6

489.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.1 €45.75

$19.00 ฿641

168.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.33 €10.15

$5.55 ฿187

104.14%

Cappuccino

$1.92 €1.72

$1.67 ฿56.5

14.97%

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

$2.04 €1.83

$0.64 ฿21.54

218.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.36

$0.31 ฿10.31

390.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 €1.97

$2.36 ฿79.5

-6.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.94 €3.53

$3.66 ฿124

7.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.95 ฿65.7

-43.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 €1.45

$1.44 ฿48.46

12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.33 ฿45.03

19.55%

Eggs

$3.60 €3.23

$2.28 ฿77.1

57.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.60 €10.39

$16.45 ฿555

-29.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.62 €6.83

$2.78 ฿93.9

174.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.88 €15.12

$9.31 ฿314

81.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.35 ฿79.4

-2.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$0.97 ฿32.79

70.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 €1.78

$1.60 ฿53.9

24.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.21

$1.50 ฿50.6

64.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 €1.58

$1.28 ฿43.11

37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 €1.75

$1.10 ฿37.18

77.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$0.71 ฿23.82

116.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 €0.65

$0.49 ฿16.36

48.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.57 €5.88

$4.14 ฿140

58.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 €4.97

$17.52 ฿591

-68.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.61 ฿54.5

-16.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 €2.29

$2.78 ฿93.9

-8.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.93 €1.73

$0.87 ฿29.30

121.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.88 €33.93

$54.1 ฿1,825

-29.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.45 €3.99

$1.16 ฿39.04

283.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 €0.79

$0.53 ฿17.80

66.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.97 €15.20

$2.42 ฿81.7

601.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.45 ฿48.88

47.59%

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

$33.5K €30.0K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

59.23%

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

$37.9K €34.0K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

40.79%

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

$162 €145

$62.2 ฿2,098

161.22%

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

$19.93 €17.85

$12.17 ฿411

63.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.07 €33.20

$20.12 ฿679

84.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$116 €104

$37.31 ฿1,259

211.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.58 €13.06

$3.77 ฿127

286.74%

Cinema Ticket

$8.55 €7.66

$6.49 ฿219

31.74%

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

$549 €492

$736 ฿24.8K

-25.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K €9,551

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-27.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.8

$53.4 ฿1,801

94.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.01 €29.56

$24.64 ฿831

33.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.8 €84.0

$91.5 ฿3,087

2.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 €103

$71.9 ฿2,427

59.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$910 €815

$482 ฿16.3K

88.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 €653

$309 ฿10.4K

135.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,793 €1,605

$1,006 ฿33.9K

78.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,283 €1,149

$633 ฿21.4K

102.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,331 €2,983

$2,363 ฿79.7K

40.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,490 €2,230

$1,589 ฿53.6K

56.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,455 €1,303

$590 ฿19.9K

146.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

5.57

-41.29%

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

Last update for Vila Nova de Gaia: 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

Vila Nova de Gaia

$729 41.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 57.6% $420

Groceries & Markets

Vila Nova de Gaia

$260 14.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 9.9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vila Nova de Gaia

$219 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 56.9% $125

Eating Out

Vila Nova de Gaia

$196 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 60.4% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Vila Nova de Gaia

$155 8.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 30% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Vila Nova de Gaia

$133 7.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 62.2% $83

Getting Around

Vila Nova de Gaia

$54 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 12.7% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $910 in Vila Nova de Gaia 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 Vila Nova de Gaia are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51 in Vila Nova de Gaia versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $260 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Vila Nova de Gaia

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:50 8:50 PM

03:50 3:50 AM

7 h ahead of Vila Nova de Gaia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

303,854

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

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Vila Nova de Gaia Chiang Mai 10,030 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Vila Nova de Gaia
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

Vila Nova de Gaia vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Vila Nova de Gaia costs about 87% 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 $2,621 per month in Vila Nova de Gaia 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 $910 in Vila Nova de Gaia.

Kindergarten costs $549 per month in Vila Nova de Gaia 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 11% more in Vila Nova de Gaia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,747 in Vila Nova de Gaia 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 $1,747 in Vila Nova de Gaia. 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, Vila Nova de Gaia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.