Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bender and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Bender: $663 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Bender
Learn more

Bender Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Bender

🇲🇩 Moldova

$663

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $663 per month in Bender vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bender $663
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $960 per month in Bender vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bender $960
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,256 per month in Bender vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Bender $1,256
Chiang Mai $1,979

Bender is about 29% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bender and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Bender 51% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.36 MDL 114

$2.24 ฿75.7

183.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.87 MDL 320

$19.00 ฿642

-5.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 MDL 99.2

$5.55 ฿188

Cappuccino

$1.23 MDL 21.92

$1.67 ฿56.6

-26.35%

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

$0.98 MDL 17.61

$0.64 ฿21.56

53.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 MDL 9.14

$0.31 ฿10.32

64.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 MDL 15.68

$2.36 ฿79.6

-62.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 MDL 30.23

$3.66 ฿124

-53.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 MDL 16.27

$1.95 ฿65.8

-53.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 MDL 8.03

$1.44 ฿48.51

-68.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MDL 25.38

$1.33 ฿45.07

6.77%

Eggs

$1.96 MDL 34.99

$2.28 ฿77.1

-14.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.94 MDL 70.4

$16.45 ฿556

-76.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.26 MDL 76.1

$2.78 ฿94.0

53.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.19 MDL 92.7

$9.31 ฿314

-44.25%

Apples (1kg)

$0.81 MDL 14.53

$2.35 ฿79.5

-65.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 MDL 32.00

$0.97 ฿32.82

84.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 MDL 33.30

$1.60 ฿53.9

16.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 MDL 33.06

$1.50 ฿50.7

23.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 MDL 12.53

$1.28 ฿43.15

-45.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 MDL 9.95

$1.10 ฿37.22

-49.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 MDL 9.78

$0.71 ฿23.84

-22.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 MDL 13.56

$0.49 ฿16.38

55.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.77 MDL 49.53

$4.14 ฿140

-33.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.49 MDL 44.45

$17.52 ฿592

-85.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 MDL 9.83

$1.61 ฿54.5

-65.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 MDL 33.96

$2.78 ฿94.0

-31.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 MDL 6.63

$0.87 ฿29.33

-57.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 MDL 40.18

$1.16 ฿39.08

93.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 MDL 4.78

$0.53 ฿17.82

-49.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.16 MDL 92.2

$2.42 ฿81.8

113.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 MDL 24.28

$1.45 ฿48.93

-6.21%

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

$29.3K MDL 523.7K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

39.09%

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

$28.3K MDL 505.7K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

4.97%

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

$235 MDL 4,202

$62.2 ฿2,100

278.06%

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

$9.45 MDL 169

$12.17 ฿411

-22.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.15 MDL 181

$20.12 ฿680

-49.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$8.35 MDL 149

$6.49 ฿219

28.66%

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

$437 MDL 7,814

$736 ฿24.9K

-40.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,822 MDL 104.1K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-60.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 MDL 1,394

$53.4 ฿1,802

46.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.04 MDL 841

$24.64 ฿832

90.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 MDL 1,988

$91.5 ฿3,089

21.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 MDL 2,034

$71.9 ฿2,429

58.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$306 MDL 5,472

$482 ฿16.3K

-36.54%

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)

$311 MDL 5,553

$590 ฿19.9K

-47.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.17

5.57

64.63%

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

Last update for Bender: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bender

$255 38.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 62.9% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Bender

$157 23.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 31% $49

Groceries & Markets

Bender

$133 20.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 75.9% $101

Eating Out

Bender

$96 14.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 19.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Bender

$17 * 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 201% $34

Getting Around

Bender

$5.1 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 1110% $56

Accommodation & Living

Bender

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $306 in Bender 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.

Salaries run about 90% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Bender versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $133 vs $234 – making Bender the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Bender

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:33 10:33 PM

03:33 3:33 AM

5 h ahead of Bender

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

97,027

127,240

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.59 USD

100 MDL = 5.02 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇩 Moldovan Leu (L)

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 17.88 MDL (100 MDL = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 19.9 MDL (100 MDL = 5.02 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 MDL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bender Chiang Mai 6,950 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bender
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

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

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 41%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $995 per month in Bender 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 Bender, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $306 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Bender 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 76% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Bender – 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 Bender. 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.