Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zilina and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,369 in Zilina, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Zilina
Learn more

Zilina Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Zilina

🇸🇰 Slovakia

$1,369

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,369 per month in Zilina vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zilina $1,369
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,044 per month in Zilina vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zilina $2,044
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,719 per month in Zilina vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zilina $2,719
Chiang Mai $1,914

Zilina costs about 46% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Zilina sits 1% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.98 €8.88

$2.26 ฿75.4

341.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.8 €50.6

$19.18 ฿641

196.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 €7.12

$5.59 ฿187

43.11%

Cappuccino

$2.42 €2.15

$1.72 ฿57.6

40.70%

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

$1.75 €1.55

$0.64 ฿21.54

173.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.33 ฿11.18

321.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 €2.00

$2.36 ฿78.7

-4.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.01

$3.90 ฿130

-42.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.05 ฿68.6

-47.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.40 ฿46.70

-1.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.28 ฿42.89

48.44%

Eggs

$3.70 €3.29

$2.25 ฿75.3

64.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.52 €11.13

$16.94 ฿566

-26.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.02 €6.24

$2.74 ฿91.6

156.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.31 €10.95

$9.36 ฿313

31.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$2.40 ฿80.3

-27.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.01 ฿33.92

110.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 €2.11

$1.61 ฿53.9

47.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 €4.02

$1.52 ฿50.7

197.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.28 ฿42.90

7.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.11 ฿37.22

35.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 €1.41

$0.72 ฿24.09

119.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.52 ฿17.54

61.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.23 €5.54

$4.33 ฿145

43.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.59 €4.97

$17.73 ฿593

-68.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$1.63 ฿54.4

-38.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.23

$2.85 ฿95.3

-51.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.85 ฿28.31

28.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.67 €20.16

$53.9 ฿1,801

-57.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.17 ฿39.18

41.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.57 ฿19.00

91.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.19 €19.74

$2.37 ฿79.2

836.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.45 ฿48.32

22.07%

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

$25.7K €22.8K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

25.37%

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

$23.9K €21.3K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-9.80%

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

$228 €203

$62.3 ฿2,083

266.23%

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

$19.72 €17.54

$12.27 ฿410

60.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.80 €17.61

$19.97 ฿668

-0.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.66 €31.72

$37.91 ฿1,267

-5.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 €10.09

$3.76 ฿126

201.86%

Cinema Ticket

$9.45 €8.41

$6.71 ฿224

40.83%

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

$406 €361

$797 ฿26.6K

-49.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,725 €5,982

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-54.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.0 €57.8

$53.3 ฿1,780

22.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.85 €24.77

$25.05 ฿837

11.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.2 €71.4

$91.6 ฿3,062

-12.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.5 €83.2

$73.5 ฿2,455

27.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$575 €511

$464 ฿15.5K

23.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$479 €426

$305 ฿10.2K

57.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$904 €804

$915 ฿30.6K

-1.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$768 €683

$552 ฿18.5K

39.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,918

$1,912 ฿63.9K

71.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,887 €2,568

$1,438 ฿48.1K

100.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,367 €1,216

$595 ฿19.9K

129.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

5.57

-31.96%

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

Last update for Zilina: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zilina

$479 35%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 36.4% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zilina

$268 19.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 64.7% $173

Groceries & Markets

Zilina

$253 18.5%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 5.8% $15

Eating Out

Zilina

$161 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 51% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Zilina

$120 8.8%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 8.7% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Zilina

$55 4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 5.9% $3.2

Getting Around

Zilina

$34 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 79.6% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $575 in Zilina versus $464 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 130% higher in Zilina, 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 $57.0 in Zilina versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇰 Zilina

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:43 3:43 AM

08:43 8:43 AM

5 h ahead of Zilina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

81,494

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zilina Chiang Mai 7,740 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Zilina
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

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

Zilina costs about 46% 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 $2,053 per month in Zilina and $1,408 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 $406 per month in Zilina and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Zilina, 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 $938, than in Zilina at $1,369. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zilina it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,369 in Zilina. 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, Zilina makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.