Cost of Living · TH vs PT
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai vs 🇵🇹 Lisbon: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $706 in Thailand vs $1,298 in Portugal — 83.85% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Portugal
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 21.88%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 22.24%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 22.26%
Closest to Thailand prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +102.11%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +102.11%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +102.11%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Thailand | Portugal | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $428 | $866 (800 EUR) | +102.11% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $343 | $693 (640 EUR) | +102.11% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $783 | $1,583 (1,463 EUR) | +102.11% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $5.96 | $10.36 (10 EUR) | +73.83% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $24.83 | $43.15 (40 EUR) | +73.78% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $4.03 | $6.65 (6 EUR) | +65.01% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.49 | $0.74 (1 EUR) | +51.02% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.43 | $2.14 (2 EUR) | +49.65% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.52 | $2.27 (2 EUR) | +49.34% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $4.47 | $6.69 (6 EUR) | +49.66% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $1.79 | $2.68 (2 EUR) | +49.72% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.15 | $3.21 (3 EUR) | +49.3% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $5.37 | $8.03 (7 EUR) | +49.53% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $0.89 | $1.34 (1 EUR) | +50.56% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $1.99 | $3.45 (3 EUR) | +73.37% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.35 | $6.54 (6 EUR) | +22.24% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $1.66 | $2.88 (3 EUR) | +73.49% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.03 | $1.54 (1 EUR) | +49.51% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $23.79 | $39.32 (36 EUR) | +65.28% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.01 | $1.66 (2 EUR) | +64.36% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.32 | $2.30 (2 EUR) | +74.24% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.60 | $1.04 (1 EUR) | +73.33% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.64 | $0.78 (1 EUR) | +21.88% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $73.20 | $121 (112 EUR) | +65.3% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $25.62 | $42.35 (39 EUR) | +65.3% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $16.47 | $27.23 (25 EUR) | +65.33% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $16.55 | $28.77 (27 EUR) | +73.84% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $4.63 | $8.05 (7 EUR) | +73.87% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $9.93 | $17.26 (16 EUR) | +73.82% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $36.79 | $44.98 (42 EUR) | +22.26% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $60.21 | $73.61 (68 EUR) | +22.26% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $82.75 | $144 (133 EUR) | +73.82% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is Portugal than Thailand?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,298 in Portugal versus $706 in Thailand — 83.85% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Portugal?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.45 in Portugal (≈ 3.19 EUR), versus about $1.99 in Thailand.
- How much is rent in Portugal compared to Thailand?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $866/month in Portugal versus $428/month in Thailand (+102.11%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.