Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baabda and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,008 in Baabda, rent and utilities included – about $840 less a year. The total is higher in Baabda despite lower rent and utilities.

49

Cost of Living Index in Baabda
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Baabda Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Baabda

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,008

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,008 in Baabda versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Baabda $1,008
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,611 in Baabda versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Baabda $1,611
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,213 in Baabda versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Baabda $2,213
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Baabda is roughly 7% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baabda 25% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.98 LBP 1.1M

$2.26 ฿75.4

430.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 LBP 6.1M

$19.18 ฿641

254.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 LBP 901.9K

$5.59 ฿187

80.32%

Cappuccino

$4.60 LBP 411.8K

$1.72 ฿57.6

167.44%

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

$2.40 LBP 214.7K

$0.64 ฿21.54

275.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 LBP 76.3K

$0.33 ฿11.18

157.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 LBP 440.0K

$2.36 ฿78.7

108.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 LBP 428.4K

$3.90 ฿130

22.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 LBP 176.3K

$2.05 ฿68.6

-3.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 LBP 81.9K

$1.40 ฿46.70

-35.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 LBP 209.0K

$1.28 ฿42.89

82.81%

Eggs

$3.67 LBP 328.8K

$2.25 ฿75.3

63.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.96 LBP 980.6K

$16.94 ฿566

-35.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.50 LBP 940.1K

$2.74 ฿91.6

283.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 LBP 1.3M

$9.36 ฿313

59.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 LBP 271.5K

$2.40 ฿80.3

26.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 LBP 153.5K

$1.01 ฿33.92

69.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 LBP 150.8K

$1.61 ฿53.9

4.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 LBP 135.5K

$1.52 ฿50.7

-0.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 LBP 112.6K

$1.28 ฿42.90

-1.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 LBP 143.3K

$1.11 ฿37.22

44.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 LBP 107.7K

$0.72 ฿24.09

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 LBP 65.0K

$0.52 ฿17.54

40.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 LBP 270.6K

$4.33 ฿145

-30.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.16 LBP 999.2K

$17.73 ฿593

-37.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 LBP 114.9K

$1.63 ฿54.4

-21.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 LBP 221.7K

$2.85 ฿95.3

-12.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 LBP 441.6K

$1.17 ฿39.18

321.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 LBP 205.9K

$0.57 ฿19.00

303.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.28 LBP 2.0M

$2.37 ฿79.2

840.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 LBP 93.7K

$1.45 ฿48.32

-27.59%

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

$53.3K LBP 4.8B

$20.5K ฿684.3K

160.11%

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

$32.7K LBP 2.9B

$26.5K ฿886.1K

23.17%

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

$236 LBP 21.2M

$62.3 ฿2,083

279.30%

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

$22.34 LBP 2.0M

$12.27 ฿410

82.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.79 LBP 3.4M

$19.97 ฿668

89.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$10.08 LBP 901.9K

$6.71 ฿224

50.22%

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

$686 LBP 61.4M

$797 ฿26.6K

-13.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K LBP 952.0M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-28.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 LBP 6.2M

$53.3 ฿1,780

29.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 LBP 4.5M

$25.05 ฿837

100.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 LBP 12.4M

$91.6 ฿3,062

51.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 LBP 10.6M

$73.5 ฿2,455

61.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿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 Baabda: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baabda

$297 29.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 68.1% $202

Groceries & Markets

Baabda

$277 27.5%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 14.1% $39

Eating Out

Baabda

$228 22.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 65.4% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Baabda

$169 16.8%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 35.4% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Baabda

$20 * 2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 155% $31

Getting Around

Baabda

$16 * 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 273% $45

Accommodation & Living

Baabda

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $68.0 in Baabda vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $277 vs $238 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Baabda

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:20 10:20 AM

14:20 2:20 PM

4 h ahead of Baabda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,618 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to LBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Baabda Chiang Mai 6,440 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Baabda
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

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

Baabda and Chiang Mai differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($1,008 vs $938 including rent). Chiang Mai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,512 in Baabda and $1,408 in Chiang Mai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $686 in Baabda versus $797 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $68.0 in Baabda. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,008 in Baabda, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Baabda. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Baabda and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Baabda. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.