Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baniyas and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Baniyas: $384 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

18

Cost of Living Index in Baniyas
Learn more

Baniyas Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Baniyas

🇸🇾 Syria

$384

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $384 in Baniyas versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Baniyas $384
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $678 in Baniyas versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Baniyas $678
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $971 in Baniyas versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Baniyas $971
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Baniyas costs roughly 59% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baniyas 72% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.04 SYP 248

$2.24 ฿75.7

-8.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.17 SYP 5,124

$19.00 ฿642

121.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 SYP 829

$5.55 ฿188

22.88%

Cappuccino

$0.48 SYP 58.3

$1.67 ฿56.6

-71.26%

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

$0.97 SYP 118

$0.64 ฿21.56

51.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 SYP 38.09

$0.31 ฿10.32

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.46 SYP 178

$2.36 ฿79.6

-38.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 SYP 484

$3.66 ฿124

8.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 SYP 95.2

$1.95 ฿65.8

-60.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.39 SYP 46.99

$1.44 ฿48.51

-72.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 SYP 124

$1.33 ฿45.07

-23.31%

Eggs

$1.22 SYP 148

$2.28 ฿77.1

-46.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.41 SYP 414

$16.45 ฿556

-79.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.86 SYP 712

$2.78 ฿94.0

110.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.83 SYP 1,680

$9.31 ฿314

48.55%

Apples (1kg)

$0.51 SYP 62.1

$2.35 ฿79.5

-78.30%

Banana (1kg)

$0.98 SYP 119

$0.97 ฿32.82

1.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.29 SYP 35.15

$1.60 ฿53.9

-81.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 SYP 63.2

$1.50 ฿50.7

-65.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.31 SYP 38.20

$1.28 ฿43.15

-75.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 SYP 50.6

$1.10 ฿37.22

-61.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.41 SYP 49.80

$0.71 ฿23.84

-42.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 SYP 75.0

$0.49 ฿16.38

26.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.72 SYP 330

$4.14 ฿140

-34.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.07 SYP 616

$17.52 ฿592

-71.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 SYP 133

$1.61 ฿54.5

-32.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 SYP 359

$2.78 ฿94.0

6.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 SYP 26.99

$0.87 ฿29.33

-74.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.12 SYP 987

$54.1 ฿1,827

-84.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.98 SYP 119

$1.16 ฿39.08

-15.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 SYP 190

$0.53 ฿17.82

194.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.56 SYP 918

$2.42 ฿81.8

212.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 SYP 180

$1.45 ฿48.93

2.07%

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

$15.3K SYP 1.9M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-27.46%

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

$19.4K SYP 2.4M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-28.15%

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

$20.11 SYP 2,443

$62.2 ฿2,100

-67.65%

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

$4.10 SYP 498

$12.17 ฿411

-66.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.75 SYP 5,681

$20.12 ฿680

132.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$5.44 SYP 662

$6.49 ฿219

-16.18%

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

$65.6 SYP 7,974

$736 ฿24.9K

-91.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,775 SYP 215.7K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-87.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$8.22 SYP 998

$53.4 ฿1,802

-84.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.31 SYP 4,897

$24.64 ฿832

63.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 SYP 7,420

$91.5 ฿3,089

-33.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.4 SYP 7,100

$71.9 ฿2,429

-18.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.25

5.57

155.83%

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

Last update for Baniyas: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Baniyas

$146 38%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 60.3% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Baniyas

$76 19.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 43.7% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baniyas

$71 18.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 33.1% $23

Eating Out

Baniyas

$63 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 23.2% $15

Getting Around

Baniyas

$18 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 245% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Baniyas

$11 * 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 362% $39

Accommodation & Living

Baniyas

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $42 in Baniyas vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $146 vs $234, with Baniyas cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇾 Baniyas

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:38 11:38 PM

03:38 3:38 AM

4 h ahead of Baniyas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,632

127,240

💱 Currency

Syrian Pound SYP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.39 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SYP – Syrian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇾 Syrian Pound (£)

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 135 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.39 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SYP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Baniyas Chiang Mai 6,400 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Baniyas
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

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

Baniyas is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $577 in Baniyas 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.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $42 in Baniyas. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $384 per month in Baniyas versus $936 in Chiang Mai – Baniyas is about 59% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.