Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bac Giang and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bac Giang: $783 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Bac Giang
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Bac Giang Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bac Giang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$783

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $783 in Bac Giang versus $935 in Chiang Mai.

Bac Giang $783
Chiang Mai $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,221 in Bac Giang versus $1,467 in Chiang Mai.

Bac Giang $1,221
Chiang Mai $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,659 in Bac Giang versus $1,999 in Chiang Mai.

Bac Giang $1,659
Chiang Mai $1,999

Living in Bac Giang costs roughly 16% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bac Giang 42% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.99 ₫51.2K

$2.13 ฿71.8

-6.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.22 ₫392.1K

$18.62 ฿626

-18.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.39 ₫113.2K

$5.60 ฿188

-21.61%

Cappuccino

$1.92 ₫49.6K

$1.66 ฿55.9

15.66%

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

$0.41 ₫10.5K

$0.65 ฿21.75

-36.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ₫6,657

$0.30 ฿10.25

-13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.80 ₫20.7K

$2.32 ฿78.1

-65.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₫25.4K

$3.67 ฿123

-73.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ₫39.7K

$2.02 ฿67.8

-23.76%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 ₫25.5K

$1.41 ฿47.34

-29.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ₫19.8K

$1.39 ฿46.79

-44.60%

Eggs

$1.52 ₫39.3K

$2.37 ฿79.6

-35.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.06 ₫310.6K

$16.52 ฿555

-27.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.72 ₫95.8K

$2.67 ฿89.8

39.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 ₫247.2K

$9.02 ฿303

6.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 ₫81.3K

$2.40 ฿80.6

31.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ₫26.1K

$1.04 ฿35.01

-2.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.8K

$1.66 ฿55.8

-21.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 ₫27.8K

$1.56 ฿52.4

-30.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 ₫24.7K

$1.24 ฿41.61

-22.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.4K

$1.09 ฿36.53

4.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 ₫15.0K

$0.76 ฿25.61

-23.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.5K

$0.51 ฿17.29

9.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.37 ₫35.3K

$4.12 ฿139

-66.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 ₫275.5K

$17.93 ฿603

-40.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ₫22.1K

$1.62 ฿54.6

-46.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$2.82 ฿94.9

-41.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ₫9,346

$0.93 ฿31.42

-61.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.49 ₫192.9K

$52.9 ฿1,778

-85.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 ₫24.5K

$1.18 ฿39.56

-19.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ₫14.3K

$0.17 ฿5.76

229.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ₫61.1K

$1.81 ฿60.9

30.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 ₫25.2K

$1.47 ฿49.51

-33.33%

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

$31.5K ₫812.2M

$21.0K ฿706.4K

50.06%

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

$28.9K ₫744.4M

$26.5K ฿891.4K

8.98%

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

$85.4 ₫2.2M

$62.6 ฿2,103

36.45%

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

$5.03 ₫129.5K

$11.60 ฿390

-56.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.66 ₫223.0K

$20.30 ฿683

-57.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.09 ₫543.3K

$37.88 ฿1,274

-44.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.75 ₫199.7K

$3.70 ฿124

109.46%

Cinema Ticket

$4.53 ₫116.6K

$6.51 ฿219

-30.41%

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

$335 ₫8.6M

$727 ฿24.4K

-53.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.3K ₫753.9M

$16.6K ฿557.2K

76.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.69 ₫1.2M

$53.5 ฿1,800

-14.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.39 ₫731.2K

$24.80 ฿834

14.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 ₫2.2M

$90.4 ฿3,039

-5.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ₫1.9M

$72.0 ฿2,420

1.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$145 ₫3.7M

$481 ฿16.2K

-69.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 ₫7.3M

$310 ฿10.4K

-9.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$648 ₫16.7M

$1,058 ฿35.6K

-38.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$586 ₫15.1M

$659 ฿22.1K

-11.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,289 ₫59.0M

$2,418 ฿81.3K

-5.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,332 ₫34.3M

$1,609 ฿54.1K

-17.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.17

5.57

46.68%

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

Last update for Bac Giang: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bac Giang

$282 36%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 10% $28

Groceries & Markets

Bac Giang

$194 24.8%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 22.1% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Bac Giang

$105 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 3.4% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bac Giang

$99 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 4.6% $4.6

Eating Out

Bac Giang

$61 7.8%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 25.9% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Bac Giang

$30 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 68.8% $21

Getting Around

Bac Giang

$13 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 363% $46

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $145 in Bac Giang and $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $15 in Bac Giang vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $237 per month, with Bac Giang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Bac Giang

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:02 5:02 AM

Same time as Bac Giang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

194,171

127,240

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 25,761 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 29,000 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bac Giang Chiang Mai 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bac Giang
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

Bac Giang vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bac Giang is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in transport, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,175 in Bac Giang and $1,403 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $145 in Bac Giang versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bac Giang – a meal for two runs $15 versus $19 in Chiang Mai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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, Bac Giang and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Bac Giang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.