Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abadan, Iran and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Abadan: $534 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Abadan
Learn more

Abadan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Abadan

🇮🇷 Iran

$534

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $534 in Abadan versus $935 in Chiang Mai.

Abadan $534
Chiang Mai $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $851 in Abadan versus $1,467 in Chiang Mai.

Abadan $851
Chiang Mai $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,167 in Abadan versus $1,999 in Chiang Mai.

Abadan $1,167
Chiang Mai $1,999

Living in Abadan costs roughly 43% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Abadan 60% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 $2.96

$2.13 ฿71.2

38.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.06 $16.06

$18.62 ฿622

-13.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 $3.94

$5.60 ฿187

-29.64%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.68 $0.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 $1.12

Cappuccino

$1.10 $1.10

$1.66 ฿55.5

-33.73%

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

$0.49 $0.49

$0.65 ฿21.59

-24.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.30 ฿10.18

226.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿122

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.02 ฿67.3

-48.51%

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 $0.48

$1.41 ฿47.00

-65.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.39 ฿46.46

48.92%

Eggs

$1.18 $1.18

$2.37 ฿79.0

-50.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.50 $4.50

$16.52 ฿551

-72.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 $3.41

$2.67 ฿89.1

27.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 $10.39

$9.02 ฿301

15.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.40 ฿80.1

-57.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 $1.61

$1.04 ฿34.76

54.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.66 ฿55.4

-48.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 $0.56

$1.56 ฿52.0

-64.10%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 $0.54

$1.24 ฿41.31

-56.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 $0.47

$1.09 ฿36.27

-56.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 $0.57

$0.76 ฿25.43

-25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 $0.24

$0.51 ฿17.16

-52.94%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 $1.38

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.53 $2.53

$4.12 ฿138

-38.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿598

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.14 $0.14

$0.93 ฿31.19

-84.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.46 $9.46

$52.9 ฿1,766

-82.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 $0.38

$1.18 ฿39.28

-67.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 $0.29

$0.17 ฿5.72

70.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$1.81 ฿60.5

45.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.09 $0.09

$1.47 ฿49.16

-93.88%

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

$50.0K $50.0K

$21.0K ฿701.4K

137.89%

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

$45.1K $45.1K

$26.5K ฿885.1K

70.23%

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

$13.23 $13.23

$62.6 ฿2,088

-78.85%

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

$1.58 $1.58

$11.60 ฿387

-86.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.02 $4.02

$20.30 ฿678

-80.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.95 $18.95

$37.88 ฿1,264

-49.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.28 $13.28

$3.70 ฿123

258.92%

Cinema Ticket

$1.95 $1.95

$6.51 ฿217

-70.05%

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

$108 $108

$727 ฿24.3K

-85.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,416 $2,416

$16.6K ฿553.2K

-85.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.77 $22.77

$53.5 ฿1,787

-57.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.89 $28.89

$24.80 ฿828

16.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 $96.2

$90.4 ฿3,017

6.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.1 $73.1

$72.0 ฿2,402

1.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 $290

$481 ฿16.1K

-39.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$208 $208

$310 ฿10.3K

-32.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$799 $799

$1,058 ฿35.3K

-24.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 $363

$659 ฿22.0K

-44.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$712 $712

$2,418 ฿80.7K

-70.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,037 $1,037

$1,609 ฿53.7K

-35.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$447 $447

$595 ฿19.9K

-24.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.3

5.57

336.27%

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

Last update for Abadan: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Abadan

$208 38.9%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 49.1% $102

Groceries & Markets

Abadan

$119 22.2%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 99.4% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Abadan

$99 18.6%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 8.9% $8.9

Eating Out

Abadan

$55 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 40.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Abadan

$23 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 123% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abadan

$19 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 401% $76

Getting Around

Abadan

$12 2.2%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 396% $47

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $290 in Abadan and $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 33% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $16 in Abadan vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $119 vs $237 per month, with Abadan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Abadan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:54 8:54 PM

00:24 12:24 AM

3 h 30 min ahead of Abadan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

231,476

127,240

💱 Currency

USD USD

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Abadan Chiang Mai 5,240 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Abadan
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

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

Abadan is about 43% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 25% lower in Abadan. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $290 in Abadan versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Abadan – a meal for two runs $16 versus $19 in Chiang Mai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $534 per month in Abadan versus $935 in Chiang Mai – Abadan is about 43% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Abadan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.