Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zeist and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,759 in Zeist, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Zeist
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Zeist Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Zeist

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,759

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,759 per month in Zeist vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zeist $2,759
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,797 per month in Zeist vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zeist $3,797
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,835 per month in Zeist vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zeist $4,835
Chiang Mai $1,979

Zeist costs about 195% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Zeist sits 103% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.66 €20.30

$2.24 ฿75.6

911.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.8 €71.5

$19.00 ฿641

320.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.42 €12.03

$5.55 ฿187

141.80%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.87

$1.67 ฿56.5

158.68%

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

$3.71 €3.32

$0.64 ฿21.55

479.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.09

$0.31 ฿10.31

1009.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 €4.90

$2.36 ฿79.6

131.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 €4.56

$3.66 ฿124

39.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.34

$1.95 ฿65.8

-23.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.44 ฿48.48

62.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.75 €2.46

$1.33 ฿45.04

106.77%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.38

$2.28 ฿77.1

114.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.58 €12.17

$16.45 ฿555

-17.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.04 €12.58

$2.78 ฿93.9

405.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.67 €16.73

$9.31 ฿314

100.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 €2.37

$2.35 ฿79.4

12.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 €2.12

$0.97 ฿32.80

143.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.60 ฿53.9

36.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.43 €3.97

$1.50 ฿50.6

195.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.28 ฿43.12

37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.10 ฿37.19

68.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 €1.19

$0.71 ฿23.82

87.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.98

$0.49 ฿16.37

122.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 €12.54

$4.14 ฿140

238.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.67 €5.97

$17.52 ฿591

-61.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.61 ฿54.5

-22.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 €2.49

$2.78 ฿94.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.54 €3.17

$0.87 ฿29.31

306.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$81.5 €73.1

$54.1 ฿1,826

50.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 €3.26

$1.16 ฿39.06

213.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.90 €1.71

$0.53 ฿17.80

258.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.64 €20.29

$2.42 ฿81.8

835.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 €2.14

$1.45 ฿48.90

64.14%

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

$41.6K €37.3K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

97.64%

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

$39.3K €35.2K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

45.85%

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

$245 €219

$62.2 ฿2,098

293.74%

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

$26.20 €23.48

$12.17 ฿411

115.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.73 €42.77

$20.12 ฿679

137.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.52 €37.20

$37.31 ฿1,259

11.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.56 €23.80

$3.77 ฿127

604.51%

Cinema Ticket

$15.71 €14.08

$6.49 ฿219

142.06%

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

$2,660 €2,384

$736 ฿24.8K

261.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,981 €7,151

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-45.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.4 €85.5

$53.4 ฿1,801

78.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.52 €35.41

$24.64 ฿831

60.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 €78.8

$91.5 ฿3,087

-3.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €92.2

$71.9 ฿2,428

42.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 €1,282

$482 ฿16.3K

196.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,426 €1,278

$309 ฿10.4K

361.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 €2,102

$1,006 ฿33.9K

133.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,859 €1,666

$633 ฿21.4K

193.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,488 €5,814

$2,363 ฿79.8K

174.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,606 €5,023

$1,589 ฿53.6K

252.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,256 €3,814

$590 ฿19.9K

621.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

5.57

-34.47%

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

Last update for Zeist: 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

Zeist

$1.4K 51.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 78.3% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Zeist

$347 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 32.4% $112

Eating Out

Zeist

$340 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 77.1% $262

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zeist

$319 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 70.4% $224

Clothing & Footwear

Zeist

$147 5.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 25.9% $38

Getting Around

Zeist

$109 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 43.6% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Zeist

$73 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 31.1% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,431 in Zeist 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 Zeist are about 7.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $80 in Zeist versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $347 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Zeist

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:43 1:43 PM

19:43 7:43 PM

6 h ahead of Zeist

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,987

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Zeist Chiang Mai 8,620 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Zeist
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

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

Zeist costs about 195% 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 $4,139 per month in Zeist 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 $1,431 in Zeist.

Kindergarten costs $2,660 per month in Zeist 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 48% more in Zeist, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,759 in Zeist and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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