Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wels and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,912 in Wels, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

93

Cost of Living Index in Wels
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Wels Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Wels

🇦🇹 Austria

$1,912

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,912 per month in Wels vs $906 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Wels $1,912
Chiang Mai $906

A couple spends around $2,849 per month in Wels vs $1,385 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Wels $2,849
Chiang Mai $1,385

A family of three spends $3,787 per month in Wels vs $1,864 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Wels $3,787
Chiang Mai $1,864

Wels costs about 111% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Wels sits 43% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.99 €15.16

$2.13 ฿71.4

697.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.5 €74.5

$19.40 ฿650

330.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.19 €9.99

$5.47 ฿183

104.57%

Cappuccino

$4.41 €3.93

$1.68 ฿56.5

162.50%

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

$3.49 €3.11

$0.66 ฿22.11

428.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 €2.68

$0.34 ฿11.52

782.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.59 €4.98

$2.42 ฿81.1

130.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.49 €4.90

$3.73 ฿125

47.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 €1.36

$2.06 ฿69.0

-25.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.46 ฿48.81

63.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.35 ฿45.11

31.11%

Eggs

$3.85 €3.43

$2.27 ฿76.0

69.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.84 €19.49

$16.31 ฿547

33.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.80 €11.42

$2.70 ฿90.4

374.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.23 €18.94

$9.20 ฿308

130.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 €2.67

$2.39 ฿80.2

25.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.04 ฿34.68

77.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$1.60 ฿53.7

69.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.74 €2.45

$1.44 ฿48.39

90.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$1.30 ฿43.62

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.11 ฿37.32

51.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 €1.95

$0.70 ฿23.57

211.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.51 ฿17.00

49.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.61 €6.79

$4.13 ฿138

84.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.91 €7.95

$17.78 ฿596

-49.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$1.63 ฿54.7

-49.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.87 ฿96.1

-21.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.68 €2.39

$0.86 ฿28.77

211.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.05 €33.95

$53.2 ฿1,781

-28.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.52 €4.93

$1.22 ฿40.84

352.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.44 €2.18

$0.56 ฿18.82

335.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.83 €27.51

$2.31 ฿77.5

1234.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.50 ฿50.2

26.67%

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

$30.4K €27.1K

$20.9K ฿698.7K

45.61%

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

$30.1K €26.9K

$26.7K ฿895.6K

12.62%

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

$334 €298

$61.3 ฿2,052

444.83%

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

$14.14 €12.62

$12.50 ฿419

13.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.31 €34.19

$20.36 ฿682

88.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.47 €40.57

$37.94 ฿1,271

19.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.16 €30.48

$3.77 ฿126

806.10%

Cinema Ticket

$13.41 €11.97

$6.60 ฿221

103.18%

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

$1,342 €1,198

$774 ฿25.9K

73.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K €14.0K

$14.4K ฿483.5K

8.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.4 €76.2

$54.8 ฿1,836

55.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.5 €53.1

$25.26 ฿846

135.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €98.9

$90.6 ฿3,034

22.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$73.3 ฿2,454

70.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 €599

$459 ฿15.4K

46.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$553 €494

$294 ฿9,841

88.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 €844

$919 ฿30.8K

2.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$777 €694

$552 ฿18.5K

40.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,233 €3,777

$1,917 ฿64.2K

120.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,478 €3,103

$1,445 ฿48.4K

140.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,120 €2,784

$592 ฿19.8K

426.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

5.57

-37.16%

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

Last update for Wels: October 4, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wels

$553 29.2%

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8% 46.9% $259

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wels

$386 20.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 75.6% $292

Groceries & Markets

Wels

$361 19%

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6% 34.6% $125

Eating Out

Wels

$287 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4% 73.1% $210

Clothing & Footwear

Wels

$171 9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9% 35.9% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Wels

$72 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 29.3% $21

Getting Around

Wels

$66 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 8.8% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $672 in Wels 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 427% higher in Wels, 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 $83.0 in Wels versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $361 vs $236 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Wels

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:02 8:02 AM

13:02 1:02 PM

5 h ahead of Wels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,853

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Wels Chiang Mai 8,100 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Wels
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

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

Wels costs about 111% 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 $2,868 per month in Wels 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.

Kindergarten costs $1,342 per month in Wels and $774 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 Wels, 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 Wels at $1,912. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wels it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $906 versus $1,912 in Wels. 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, Wels makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.