Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baalbek and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,586 in Baalbek, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Baalbek
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Baalbek Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Baalbek

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,586

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Baalbek vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Baalbek $1,586
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,479 per month in Baalbek vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Baalbek $2,479
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,372 per month in Baalbek vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Baalbek $3,372
Chiang Mai $1,979

Baalbek costs about 70% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Baalbek sits 17% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.91 LBP 1.1M

$2.24 ฿75.6

431.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 LBP 6.1M

$19.00 ฿641

256.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.86 LBP 882.2K

$5.55 ฿187

77.66%

Cappuccino

$4.51 LBP 403.5K

$1.67 ฿56.5

170.06%

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

$2.27 LBP 203.3K

$0.64 ฿21.54

254.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 LBP 74.4K

$0.31 ฿10.31

167.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.98 LBP 445.4K

$2.36 ฿79.5

111.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 LBP 421.1K

$3.66 ฿124

28.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 LBP 180.1K

$1.95 ฿65.7

3.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 LBP 82.5K

$1.44 ฿48.46

-36.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 LBP 193.6K

$1.33 ฿45.03

62.41%

Eggs

$3.51 LBP 314.0K

$2.28 ฿77.1

53.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.25 LBP 1.0M

$16.45 ฿555

-31.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.71 LBP 958.4K

$2.78 ฿93.9

285.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.88 LBP 1.3M

$9.31 ฿314

59.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 LBP 269.4K

$2.35 ฿79.4

28.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 LBP 148.8K

$0.97 ฿32.79

71.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 LBP 150.3K

$1.60 ฿53.9

5.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 LBP 131.6K

$1.50 ฿50.6

-2.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 LBP 109.1K

$1.28 ฿43.11

-4.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.62 LBP 144.7K

$1.10 ฿37.18

47.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 LBP 103.7K

$0.71 ฿23.82

63.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 LBP 59.8K

$0.49 ฿16.36

36.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.96 LBP 265.2K

$4.14 ฿140

-28.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.12 LBP 995.3K

$17.52 ฿591

-36.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 LBP 113.2K

$1.61 ฿54.5

-21.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 LBP 228.7K

$2.78 ฿93.9

-7.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.92 LBP 440.2K

$1.16 ฿39.04

324.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.28 LBP 203.8K

$0.53 ฿17.80

330.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.88 LBP 2.0M

$2.42 ฿81.7

845.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 LBP 93.0K

$1.45 ฿48.88

-28.28%

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

$53.3K LBP 4.8B

$21.1K ฿710.5K

153.06%

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

$33.1K LBP 3.0B

$26.9K ฿909.0K

23.01%

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

$215 LBP 19.2M

$62.2 ฿2,098

245.38%

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

$23.82 LBP 2.1M

$12.17 ฿411

95.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.34 LBP 3.4M

$20.12 ฿679

90.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$10.07 LBP 901.3K

$6.49 ฿219

55.16%

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

$686 LBP 61.4M

$736 ฿24.8K

-6.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K LBP 940.9M

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-28.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.7 LBP 6.1M

$53.4 ฿1,801

26.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.63 LBP 4.4M

$24.64 ฿831

97.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 LBP 12.3M

$91.5 ฿3,087

50.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 LBP 10.7M

$71.9 ฿2,427

66.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$922 LBP 82.5M

$482 ฿16.3K

91.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$603 LBP 53.9M

$309 ฿10.4K

95.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 LBP 131.5M

$1,006 ฿33.9K

46.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,189 LBP 106.4M

$633 ฿21.4K

87.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

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 Baalbek: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baalbek

$603 38%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 48.7% $294

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baalbek

$277 17.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 65.9% $182

Groceries & Markets

Baalbek

$276 17.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 15.2% $42

Eating Out

Baalbek

$226 14.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 65.6% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Baalbek

$168 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 35.4% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Baalbek

$20 * 1.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 150% $30

Getting Around

Baalbek

$16 * 1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 276% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $922 in Baalbek 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Baalbek versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $276 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Baalbek

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:40 10:40 AM

15:40 3:40 PM

5 h ahead of Baalbek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

82,608

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 = 2.65 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,933 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 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).

USD to LBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Baalbek Chiang Mai 6,380 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Baalbek
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,586 in Baalbek, $936 in Chiang Mai – Chiang Mai comes out roughly 41% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Baalbek 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $922 in Baalbek.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Baalbek 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 18% more in Baalbek, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,586 in Baalbek 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 $1,586 in Baalbek. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.