Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zabbar and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,820 in Zabbar, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Zabbar
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Zabbar Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Zabbar

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,820

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,820 per month in Zabbar vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zabbar $1,820
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,669 per month in Zabbar vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zabbar $2,669
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,517 per month in Zabbar vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zabbar $3,517
Chiang Mai $1,979

Zabbar costs about 95% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Zabbar sits 34% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.92 €15.20

$2.24 ฿75.7

655.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.62 €34.69

$19.00 ฿642

103.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.71 €6.93

$5.55 ฿188

38.92%

Cappuccino

$2.68 €2.41

$1.67 ฿56.6

60.48%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$0.64 ฿21.56

257.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 €0.58

$0.31 ฿10.32

109.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 €1.99

$2.36 ฿79.6

-5.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.97

$3.66 ฿124

20.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 €0.99

$1.95 ฿65.8

-43.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.58 €0.52

$1.44 ฿48.51

-59.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.33 ฿45.07

-18.05%

Eggs

$3.99 €3.58

$2.28 ฿77.1

75.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.50 €4.94

$16.45 ฿556

-66.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.44 €3.99

$2.78 ฿94.0

59.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.17 €9.13

$9.31 ฿314

9.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 €3.74

$2.35 ฿79.5

77.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 €2.53

$0.97 ฿32.82

190.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.65 €3.28

$1.60 ฿53.9

128.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 €3.03

$1.50 ฿50.7

124.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$1.28 ฿43.15

79.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.10 ฿37.22

69.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 €2.04

$0.71 ฿23.84

219.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.04

$0.49 ฿16.38

134.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$4.14 ฿140

58.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.93 €7.13

$17.52 ฿592

-54.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.46

$1.61 ฿54.5

0.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 €2.11

$2.78 ฿94.0

-15.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.52 €2.27

$0.87 ฿29.33

189.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.80 €15.09

$54.1 ฿1,827

-68.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.80 €4.31

$1.16 ฿39.08

313.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 €2.03

$0.53 ฿17.82

326.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.39 €23.70

$2.42 ฿81.8

990.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.45 ฿48.93

2.76%

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

$38.1K €34.3K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

81.10%

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

$38.2K €34.4K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

41.93%

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

$104 €93.6

$62.2 ฿2,100

67.59%

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

$24.98 €22.44

$12.17 ฿411

105.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.67 €39.23

$20.12 ฿680

117.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 €58.3

$37.31 ฿1,260

74.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 €10.19

$3.77 ฿127

201.06%

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 €9.18

$6.49 ฿219

57.47%

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

$373 €335

$736 ฿24.9K

-49.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,245 €2,017

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-84.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 €79.2

$53.4 ฿1,802

65.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.17 €36.98

$24.64 ฿832

67.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.8 €88.7

$91.5 ฿3,089

7.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.2 €70.3

$71.9 ฿2,429

8.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 €1,030

$482 ฿16.3K

137.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$921 €827

$309 ฿10.4K

198.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,795 €1,613

$1,006 ฿34.0K

78.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,528 €1,372

$633 ฿21.4K

141.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,048 €3,636

$2,363 ฿79.8K

71.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,152 €3,730

$1,589 ฿53.7K

161.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,095 €984

$590 ฿19.9K

85.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

5.57

-47.94%

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

Last update for Zabbar: 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

Zabbar

$921 50.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 66.5% $612

Groceries & Markets

Zabbar

$238 13.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 1.4% $3.2

Eating Out

Zabbar

$222 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 65.1% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zabbar

$173 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 45.3% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Zabbar

$138 7.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 21.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Zabbar

$85 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 41.1% $35

Getting Around

Zabbar

$43 2.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 42.7% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,147 in Zabbar 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 86% higher in Zabbar, 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 $39 in Zabbar versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Zabbar

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

00:47 12:47 AM

6 h ahead of Zabbar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,404

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

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Between locations

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

From you

Zabbar
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

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

Zabbar costs about 95% 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 $2,730 per month in Zabbar 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 $1,147 in Zabbar.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Zabbar and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 69% less in Zabbar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,820 in Zabbar 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 $1,820 in Zabbar. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Zabbar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.