Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ba'labakk and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $981 in Ba’labakk, rent and utilities included – about $540 less a year. The total is higher in Ba’labakk despite lower rent and utilities.

47

Cost of Living Index in Ba'labakk
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Ba'labakk Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ba'labakk

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$981

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $981 per month in Ba’labakk vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ba'labakk $981
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,587 per month in Ba’labakk vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ba'labakk $1,587
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,193 per month in Ba’labakk vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ba'labakk $2,193
Chiang Mai $1,979

Ba’labakk costs about 5% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ba’labakk and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Ba’labakk 28% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 LBP 1.1M

$2.24 ฿75.7

445.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.2 LBP 6.3M

$19.00 ฿642

269.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.82 LBP 878.7K

$5.55 ฿188

76.94%

Cappuccino

$4.50 LBP 402.6K

$1.67 ฿56.6

169.46%

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

$2.31 LBP 206.6K

$0.64 ฿21.56

260.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 LBP 79.7K

$0.31 ฿10.32

187.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.97 LBP 444.4K

$2.36 ฿79.6

110.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.81 LBP 430.8K

$3.66 ฿124

31.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.91 LBP 171.3K

$1.95 ฿65.8

-2.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 LBP 80.6K

$1.44 ฿48.51

-37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 LBP 203.7K

$1.33 ฿45.07

71.43%

Eggs

$3.52 LBP 315.4K

$2.28 ฿77.1

54.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.14 LBP 997.0K

$16.45 ฿556

-32.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.42 LBP 932.2K

$2.78 ฿94.0

274.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.92 LBP 1.3M

$9.31 ฿314

60.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 LBP 268.8K

$2.35 ฿79.5

27.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 LBP 146.5K

$0.97 ฿32.82

69.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 LBP 148.8K

$1.60 ฿53.9

3.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 LBP 136.1K

$1.50 ฿50.7

1.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 LBP 111.3K

$1.28 ฿43.15

-3.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 LBP 142.6K

$1.10 ฿37.22

44.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 LBP 105.0K

$0.71 ฿23.84

64.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 LBP 65.6K

$0.49 ฿16.38

48.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.96 LBP 265.0K

$4.14 ฿140

-28.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.92 LBP 977.3K

$17.52 ฿592

-37.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 LBP 119.2K

$1.61 ฿54.5

-17.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 LBP 229.0K

$2.78 ฿94.0

-7.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 LBP 435.8K

$1.16 ฿39.08

319.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 LBP 196.4K

$0.53 ฿17.82

313.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.44 LBP 2.0M

$2.42 ฿81.8

827.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 LBP 94.2K

$1.45 ฿48.93

-27.59%

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

$52.5K LBP 4.7B

$21.1K ฿711.2K

149.27%

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

$32.4K LBP 2.9B

$26.9K ฿909.8K

20.33%

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

$211 LBP 18.9M

$62.2 ฿2,100

239.94%

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

$23.21 LBP 2.1M

$12.17 ฿411

90.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.67 LBP 3.5M

$20.12 ฿680

92.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$9.91 LBP 886.9K

$6.49 ฿219

52.70%

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

$682 LBP 61.0M

$736 ฿24.9K

-7.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K LBP 938.3M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-28.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 LBP 6.2M

$53.4 ฿1,802

29.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.38 LBP 4.4M

$24.64 ฿832

100.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 LBP 12.3M

$91.5 ฿3,089

49.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 LBP 10.8M

$71.9 ฿2,429

67.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

97.49%

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

Last update for Ba'labakk: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ba'labakk

$275 28%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 14.7% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ba'labakk

$273 27.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 65.4% $179

Eating Out

Ba'labakk

$228 23.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 66% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Ba'labakk

$169 17.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 35.7% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Ba'labakk

$20 * 2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 154% $30

Getting Around

Ba'labakk

$16 * 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 287% $46

Accommodation & Living

Ba'labakk

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Ba’labakk versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Ba'labakk

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:13 11:13 PM

04:13 4:13 AM

5 h ahead of Ba'labakk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD

100,000 LBP = 1 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to LBP – Lebanese Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇧 Lebanese Pound (ل.ل)

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,632 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to LBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ba'labakk Chiang Mai 6,370 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Ba'labakk
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

Ba'labakk vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ba’labakk is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,472 per month in Ba’labakk and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70 in Ba’labakk and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Ba’labakk, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $981 in Ba’labakk and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $981 in Ba’labakk. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.