Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bac Ninh and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Bac Ninh: $457 a month against $960 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Bac Ninh
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Bac Ninh Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bac Ninh

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$457

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$960

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $457 per month in Bac Ninh vs $960 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bac Ninh $457
Chiang Mai $960

A couple spends around $743 per month in Bac Ninh vs $1,499 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bac Ninh $743
Chiang Mai $1,499

A family of three spends $1,028 per month in Bac Ninh vs $2,037 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bac Ninh $1,028
Chiang Mai $2,037

Bac Ninh is about 52% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Bac Ninh and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Bac Ninh 66% lower, Chiang Mai 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.15 ₫29.5K

$2.12 ฿71.2

-45.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.01 ₫589.0K

$18.74 ฿630

22.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.60 ₫66.7K

$5.39 ฿181

-51.76%

Cappuccino

$1.15 ₫29.6K

$1.74 ฿58.3

-33.91%

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

$0.26 ₫6,595

$0.71 ฿23.98

-63.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 ₫5,534

$0.33 ฿11.12

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.72 ₫18.4K

$2.38 ฿80.1

-69.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₫25.7K

$3.83 ฿129

-73.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ₫40.1K

$1.99 ฿67.0

-21.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ₫25.9K

$1.43 ฿48.13

-29.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.78 ₫19.9K

$1.36 ฿45.54

-42.65%

Eggs

$1.49 ₫38.2K

$2.31 ฿77.6

-35.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.72 ₫299.9K

$16.65 ฿559

-29.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.71 ₫95.1K

$2.80 ฿94.2

32.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.70 ₫248.2K

$9.38 ฿315

3.41%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 ₫78.3K

$2.48 ฿83.5

23.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ₫25.9K

$1.06 ฿35.47

-4.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.7K

$1.69 ฿56.9

-22.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 ₫27.6K

$1.63 ฿54.8

-33.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 ₫23.3K

$1.32 ฿44.46

-31.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.5K

$1.11 ฿37.21

7.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 ₫13.9K

$0.73 ฿24.51

-26.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₫13.4K

$0.55 ฿18.62

-5.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.40 ₫36.0K

$4.38 ฿147

-68.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 ₫282.5K

$17.62 ฿592

-37.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 ₫22.0K

$1.58 ฿53.2

-45.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₫41.4K

$2.79 ฿93.8

-41.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ₫10.4K

$0.86 ฿28.90

-52.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.4 ฿1,828

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 ₫23.1K

$1.22 ฿40.98

-26.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 ₫15.5K

$0.22 ฿7.31

177.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.32 ₫59.5K

$1.75 ฿58.9

32.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ₫23.1K

$1.45 ฿48.59

-37.93%

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

$30.8K ₫787.2M

$21.0K ฿705.6K

46.46%

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

$29.5K ₫754.8M

$26.7K ฿897.5K

10.40%

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

$84.7 ₫2.2M

$63.5 ฿2,133

33.43%

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

$5.12 ₫131.0K

$11.87 ฿399

-56.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.95 ₫177.8K

$20.59 ฿692

-66.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.93 ₫305.3K

$43.33 ฿1,456

-72.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.98 ₫204.2K

$4.68 ฿157

70.51%

Cinema Ticket

$3.21 ₫82.0K

$6.62 ฿222

-51.51%

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

$716 ₫18.3M

$743 ฿25.0K

-3.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K ₫328.6M

$16.6K ฿556.8K

-22.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.36 ₫1.2M

$53.6 ฿1,801

-13.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.33 ₫750.7K

$25.24 ฿848

16.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 ₫2.1M

$93.1 ฿3,129

-10.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.8 ₫1.9M

$72.1 ฿2,423

3.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$692 ₫17.7M

$488 ฿16.4K

41.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$320 ฿10.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 ฿34.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 ฿22.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,691 ₫43.3M

$2,407 ฿80.9K

-29.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$792 ₫20.3M

$1,647 ฿55.3K

-51.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$384 ₫9.8M

$590 ฿19.8K

-34.89%

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 Ninh: November 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 8, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bac Ninh

$193 42.2%

Chiang Mai

$239 24.9% 24% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Bac Ninh

$105 23.1%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.5% 4.2% $4.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bac Ninh

$97 21.2%

Chiang Mai

$96 10% 0.8% $0.8

Eating Out

Bac Ninh

$38 8.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.1% 102% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Bac Ninh

$18 4%

Chiang Mai

$57 5.9% 208% $38

Getting Around

Bac Ninh

$5.6 * 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$60 6.3% 980% $55

Accommodation & Living

Bac Ninh

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$320 33.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $692 in Bac Ninh versus $488 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 54% 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 $23 in Bac Ninh versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Bac Ninh vs $239 in Chiang Mai – so Bac Ninh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Bac Ninh

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:14 5:14 PM

Same time as Bac Ninh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

288,766

127,240

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.91 USD

100,000 VND = 3.5 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 11, 2026: 1 USD = 25,594 VND (100,000 VND = 3.91 USD). 1 EUR = 28,593 VND (100,000 VND = 3.5 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 11, 2026: 1 USD = 33.6 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bac Ninh Chiang Mai 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Chiang Mai costs about 110% more than Bac Ninh, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $686 per month in Bac Ninh and $1,439 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 $488 there versus $692 in Bac Ninh.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Bac Ninh 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 24% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Bac Ninh, where all-in costs run around $457, than in Chiang Mai at $960. In Bac Ninh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $457 in Bac Ninh to $960 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Bac Ninh. 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.