Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ahvaz and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Ahvaz: $576 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Ahvaz
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Ahvaz Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ahvaz

🇮🇷 Iran

$576

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $576 per month in Ahvaz vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ahvaz $576
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $876 per month in Ahvaz vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ahvaz $876
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,176 per month in Ahvaz vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ahvaz $1,176
Chiang Mai $1,979

Ahvaz is about 38% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ahvaz and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Ahvaz 58% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.97 $1.97

$2.24 ฿75.6

-12.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.14 $12.14

$19.00 ฿641

-36.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.83 $3.83

$5.55 ฿187

-30.99%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.86 $0.86

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 $1.13

Cappuccino

$1.19 $1.19

$1.67 ฿56.5

-28.74%

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

$0.48 $0.48

$0.64 ฿21.54

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 $0.95

$0.31 ฿10.31

206.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$0.88 $0.88

$1.95 ฿65.7

-54.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 $0.57

$1.44 ฿48.46

-60.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.33 ฿45.03

36.09%

Eggs

$1.25 $1.25

$2.28 ฿77.1

-45.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$16.45 ฿555

-74.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.78 ฿93.9

36.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 $9.30

$9.31 ฿314

-0.11%

Apples (1kg)

$0.86 $0.86

$2.35 ฿79.4

-63.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 $1.40

$0.97 ฿32.79

44.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.60 ฿53.9

-51.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.54 $0.54

$1.50 ฿50.6

-64.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.60 $0.60

$1.28 ฿43.11

-53.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 $0.54

$1.10 ฿37.18

-50.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 $0.44

$0.71 ฿23.82

-38.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 $0.31

$0.49 ฿16.36

-36.73%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.03 $1.03

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 $0.52

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 $1.15

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.21 $2.21

$4.14 ฿140

-46.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 $0.15

$0.87 ฿29.30

-82.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.71 $9.71

$54.1 ฿1,825

-82.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 $0.48

$1.16 ฿39.04

-58.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 $0.52

$0.53 ฿17.80

-1.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 $2.93

$2.42 ฿81.7

21.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.10 $0.10

$1.45 ฿48.88

-93.10%

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

$117.4K $117.4K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

457.70%

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

$62.6K $62.6K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

132.20%

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

$14.03 $14.03

$62.2 ฿2,098

-77.43%

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

$1.55 $1.55

$12.17 ฿411

-87.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.04 $7.04

$20.12 ฿679

-65.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.14 $18.14

$37.31 ฿1,259

-51.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.93 $5.93

$3.77 ฿127

57.29%

Cinema Ticket

$1.19 $1.19

$6.49 ฿219

-81.66%

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

$104 $104

$736 ฿24.8K

-85.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$636 $636

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-95.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 $53.4

$53.4 ฿1,801

0.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.31 $47.31

$24.64 ฿831

92.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 $94.9

$91.5 ฿3,087

3.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$71.9 ฿2,427

43.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$312 $312

$482 ฿16.3K

-35.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$225 $225

$309 ฿10.4K

-27.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$512 $512

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-49.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 $349

$633 ฿21.4K

-44.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,274 $1,274

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-46.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$742 $742

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-53.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$541 $541

$590 ฿19.9K

-8.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

23.67

5.57

324.96%

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

Last update for Ahvaz: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ahvaz

$225 39%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 37.3% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Ahvaz

$135 23.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 19.3% $26

Groceries & Markets

Ahvaz

$113 19.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 107% $121

Eating Out

Ahvaz

$47 8.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 63.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ahvaz

$23 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 318% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Ahvaz

$21 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 145% $30

Getting Around

Ahvaz

$13 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 359% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $312 in Ahvaz 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 9% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $12 in Ahvaz versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $113 vs $234 – making Ahvaz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Ahvaz

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:24 12:24 PM

15:54 3:54 PM

3 h 30 min ahead of Ahvaz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,184,788

127,240

💱 Currency

USD USD

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Ahvaz Chiang Mai 5,210 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ahvaz
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $865 per month in Ahvaz 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 Ahvaz, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $312 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12 in Ahvaz and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $576 in Ahvaz and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Ahvaz about 38% cheaper.

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

If budget matters most, go with Ahvaz. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.