Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vlore and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,201 in Vlore, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Vlore, Albania
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Vlore
🇦🇱 Albania
$1,201
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,201 per month in Vlore vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Vlore $1,201
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,795 per month in Vlore vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Vlore $1,795
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,390 per month in Vlore vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Vlore $2,390
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Vlore costs about 28% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Vlore and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Vlore 12% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Vlore
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.08 ALL 819
$2.24 ฿75.6
350.00%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.28 ALL 3,190
$19.00 ฿641
106.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.56 ALL 614
$5.55 ฿187
36.22%
Cappuccino
$1.93 ALL 156
$1.67 ฿56.5
15.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 ALL 147
$0.64 ฿21.54
182.81%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.68 ALL 55.5
$0.31 ฿10.31
119.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.50 ALL 203
$2.36 ฿79.5
5.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.38 ALL 274
$3.66 ฿124
-7.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Vlore
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.98 ALL 161
$1.95 ฿65.7
1.54%
White Bread (500g)
$0.92 ALL 74.6
$1.44 ฿48.46
-36.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.04 ALL 166
$1.33 ฿45.03
53.38%
Eggs
$2.70 ALL 219
$2.28 ฿77.1
18.42%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.40 ALL 845
$16.45 ฿555
-36.78%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.32 ALL 676
$2.78 ฿93.9
199.28%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.24 ALL 1,156
$9.31 ฿314
52.95%
Apples (1kg)
$2.02 ALL 164
$2.35 ฿79.4
-14.04%
Banana (1kg)
$2.31 ALL 187
$0.97 ฿32.79
138.14%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.66 ALL 135
$1.60 ฿53.9
3.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.59 ALL 129
$1.50 ฿50.6
6.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.04 ALL 84.8
$1.28 ฿43.11
-18.75%
Onion (1kg)
$1.24 ALL 101
$1.10 ฿37.18
12.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.20 ALL 97.8
$0.71 ฿23.82
69.01%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 ALL 66.6
$0.49 ฿16.36
67.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.23 ALL 343
$4.14 ฿140
2.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.97 ALL 648
$17.52 ฿591
-54.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 ALL 140
$1.61 ฿54.5
6.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 ALL 148
$2.78 ฿93.9
-34.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Vlore
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.50 ALL 41.01
$0.87 ฿29.30
-42.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$24.77 ALL 2,012
$54.1 ฿1,825
-54.21%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 ALL 299
$1.16 ฿39.04
218.10%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.73 ALL 303
$0.53 ฿17.80
603.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.60 ALL 1,511
$2.42 ฿81.7
668.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.17 ALL 176
$1.45 ฿48.88
49.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.4K ALL 2.7M
$21.1K ฿710.5K
58.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.7K ALL 2.0M
$26.9K ฿909.0K
-8.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vlore
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$60.8 ALL 4,936
$62.2 ฿2,098
-2.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$16.42 ALL 1,334
$12.17 ฿411
34.92%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.46 ALL 1,418
$20.12 ฿679
-13.22%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Vlore
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$57.3 ALL 4,654
$37.31 ฿1,259
53.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$29.41 ALL 2,388
$3.77 ฿127
680.11%
Cinema Ticket
$8.63 ALL 701
$6.49 ฿219
32.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Vlore
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$100 ALL 8,141
$736 ฿24.8K
-86.38%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$14.8K ฿498.2K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Vlore
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.72 ALL 4,038
$53.4 ฿1,801
-6.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.7 ALL 4,526
$24.64 ฿831
126.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 ALL 8,185
$91.5 ฿3,087
10.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$146 ALL 11.9K
$71.9 ฿2,427
103.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Vlore
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$547 ALL 44.4K
$482 ฿16.3K
13.40%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$418 ALL 33.9K
$309 ฿10.4K
35.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$703 ALL 57.1K
$1,006 ฿33.9K
-30.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$552 ALL 44.9K
$633 ฿21.4K
-12.80%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,068 ALL 168.0K
$2,363 ฿79.7K
-12.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,416 ALL 115.0K
$1,589 ฿53.6K
-10.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Vlore
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$859 ALL 69.8K
$590 ฿19.9K
45.71%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
5.57
-10.23%

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

Last update for Vlore: 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
Vlore
$418
Chiang Mai
$309 26% $109
Groceries & Markets
Vlore
$250
Chiang Mai
$234 6.4% $16
Clothing & Footwear
Vlore
$159
Chiang Mai
$109 31.5% $50
Eating Out
Vlore
$156
Chiang Mai
$78 50.2% $78
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vlore
$95
Chiang Mai
$94 0.2% $0.2
Sport & Entertainment
Vlore
$75
Chiang Mai
$50 32.6% $24
Getting Around
Vlore
$49
Chiang Mai
$61 24.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $547 in Vlore 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 run about 46% higher in Vlore. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Vlore versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $250 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇦🇱 Vlore
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
17:45 5:45 PM
23:45 11:45 PM
6 h ahead of Vlore
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
79,513
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 81.22 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 90.69 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Vlore Chiang Mai 7,790 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Vlore
  • 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
Vlore vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Vlore or Chiang Mai?
Vlore costs about 28% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Vlore and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,801 per month in Vlore and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Vlore or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $547 in Vlore.
How do childcare costs compare in Vlore and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $100 per month in Vlore and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Vlore or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 7% more in Vlore, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Vlore or in Chiang Mai?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,201 in Vlore and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Vlore or Chiang Mai?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,201 in Vlore. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Should I move to Vlore or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vlore makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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