Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandar Abbas and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandar Abbas: $575 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Bandar Abbas
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Bandar Abbas Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bandar Abbas

🇮🇷 Iran

$575

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $575 per month in Bandar Abbas vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bandar Abbas $575
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $888 per month in Bandar Abbas vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bandar Abbas $888
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,200 per month in Bandar Abbas vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bandar Abbas $1,200
Chiang Mai $1,999

Bandar Abbas is about 38% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bandar Abbas and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Bandar Abbas 57% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 $2.92

$2.13 ฿71.4

37.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.17 $16.17

$18.62 ฿623

-13.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.89 $3.89

$5.60 ฿187

-30.54%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.69 $0.69

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 $1.06

Cappuccino

$1.12 $1.12

$1.66 ฿55.6

-32.53%

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

$0.52 $0.52

$0.65 ฿21.63

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$0.30 ฿10.20

240.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$0.66 $0.66

$2.02 ฿67.4

-67.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 $0.51

$1.41 ฿47.08

-63.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.39 ฿46.54

46.04%

Eggs

$1.23 $1.23

$2.37 ฿79.2

-48.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$16.52 ฿552

-73.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$2.67 ฿89.3

24.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.42 $10.42

$9.02 ฿302

15.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.08 $1.08

$2.40 ฿80.2

-55.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 $1.53

$1.04 ฿34.82

47.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.86 $0.86

$1.66 ฿55.5

-48.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.57 $0.57

$1.56 ฿52.1

-63.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 $0.55

$1.24 ฿41.39

-55.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 $0.47

$1.09 ฿36.34

-56.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 $0.56

$0.76 ฿25.47

-26.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 $0.24

$0.51 ฿17.19

-52.94%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.82 $0.82

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 $1.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 $2.51

$4.12 ฿138

-39.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 $0.17

$0.93 ฿31.25

-81.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.44 $9.44

$52.9 ฿1,769

-82.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 $0.38

$1.18 ฿39.35

-67.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 $0.29

$0.17 ฿5.73

70.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.52 $2.52

$1.81 ฿60.6

39.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.09 $0.09

$1.47 ฿49.25

-93.88%

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

$50.9K $50.9K

$21.0K ฿702.6K

142.32%

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

$45.0K $45.0K

$26.5K ฿886.7K

69.66%

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

$13.27 $13.27

$62.6 ฿2,092

-78.79%

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

$1.53 $1.53

$11.60 ฿388

-86.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.94 $3.94

$20.30 ฿679

-80.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.33 $18.33

$37.88 ฿1,267

-51.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.38 $13.38

$3.70 ฿124

261.62%

Cinema Ticket

$2.03 $2.03

$6.51 ฿218

-68.82%

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

$108 $108

$727 ฿24.3K

-85.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,422 $2,422

$16.6K ฿554.2K

-85.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.79 $22.79

$53.5 ฿1,790

-57.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.68 $28.68

$24.80 ฿829

15.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 $96.0

$90.4 ฿3,023

6.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 $73.3

$72.0 ฿2,407

1.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 $343

$481 ฿16.1K

-28.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$254 $254

$310 ฿10.4K

-17.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 $811

$1,058 ฿35.4K

-23.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$407 $407

$659 ฿22.0K

-38.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,150 $1,150

$2,418 ฿80.8K

-52.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$546 $546

$1,609 ฿53.8K

-66.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$180 $180

$595 ฿19.9K

-69.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.3

5.57

336.27%

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

Last update for Bandar Abbas: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bandar Abbas

$254 44.2%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 21.9% $56

Groceries & Markets

Bandar Abbas

$114 19.8%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 107% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Bandar Abbas

$99 17.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 9% $9

Eating Out

Bandar Abbas

$55 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 40.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Bandar Abbas

$22 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 127% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bandar Abbas

$19 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 404% $76

Getting Around

Bandar Abbas

$12 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 393% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $343 in Bandar Abbas versus $481 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 in Chiang Mai are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Bandar Abbas versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $114 vs $237 – making Bandar Abbas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Bandar Abbas

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:07 3:07 PM

18:37 6:37 PM

3 h 30 min ahead of Bandar Abbas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

526,648

127,240

💱 Currency

USD USD

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Bandar Abbas Chiang Mai 4,450 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bandar Abbas
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bandar Abbas vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 63%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $863 per month in Bandar Abbas 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 Bandar Abbas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $343 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $575 in Bandar Abbas and $935 in Chiang Mai. That makes Bandar Abbas about 38% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 82% less in Bandar Abbas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Bandar Abbas – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Bandar Abbas. 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.