Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Berat and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,143 in Berat, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Berat
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Berat Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Berat

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,143

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,143 per month in Berat vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Berat $1,143
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,735 per month in Berat vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Berat $1,735
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,326 per month in Berat vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Berat $2,326
Chiang Mai $1,979

Berat costs about 22% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Berat and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Berat 16% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.07 ALL 813

$2.24 ฿75.7

349.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.28 ALL 2,769

$19.00 ฿642

80.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.80 ALL 711

$5.55 ฿188

58.56%

Cappuccino

$1.87 ALL 151

$1.67 ฿56.6

11.98%

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

$1.86 ALL 150

$0.64 ฿21.56

190.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 ALL 80.9

$0.31 ฿10.32

222.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.77 ALL 224

$2.36 ฿79.6

17.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 ALL 307

$3.66 ฿124

3.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 ALL 161

$1.95 ฿65.8

2.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 ALL 97.8

$1.44 ฿48.51

-15.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 ALL 199

$1.33 ฿45.07

85.71%

Eggs

$3.05 ALL 247

$2.28 ฿77.1

33.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.32 ALL 914

$16.45 ฿556

-31.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.53 ALL 689

$2.78 ฿94.0

206.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.24 ALL 1,392

$9.31 ฿314

85.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 ALL 153

$2.35 ฿79.5

-19.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 ALL 203

$0.97 ฿32.82

158.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.65 ALL 133

$1.60 ฿53.9

3.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.47 ALL 118

$1.50 ฿50.7

-2.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 ALL 79.1

$1.28 ฿43.15

-23.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ALL 97.3

$1.10 ฿37.22

9.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 ALL 68.1

$0.71 ฿23.84

18.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ALL 56.8

$0.49 ฿16.38

42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.80 ALL 388

$4.14 ฿140

15.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.40 ALL 840

$17.52 ฿592

-40.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 ALL 98.0

$1.61 ฿54.5

-24.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ALL 122

$2.78 ฿94.0

-45.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 ALL 31.27

$0.87 ฿29.33

-55.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.83 ALL 1,602

$54.1 ฿1,827

-63.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 ALL 301

$1.16 ฿39.08

221.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.61 ALL 291

$0.53 ฿17.82

581.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.45 ALL 1,490

$2.42 ฿81.8

662.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 ALL 178

$1.45 ฿48.93

51.72%

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

$34.3K ALL 2.8M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

63.03%

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

$29.9K ALL 2.4M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

10.85%

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

$88.0 ALL 7,111

$62.2 ฿2,100

41.61%

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

$18.47 ALL 1,492

$12.17 ฿411

51.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.17 ALL 1,629

$20.12 ฿680

0.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 ALL 4,552

$37.31 ฿1,260

51.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.29 ALL 1,477

$3.77 ฿127

385.15%

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 ALL 778

$6.49 ฿219

48.38%

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

$182 ALL 14.7K

$736 ฿24.9K

-75.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,855 ALL 149.8K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-87.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.49 ALL 3,917

$53.4 ฿1,802

-9.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.84 ALL 3,945

$24.64 ฿832

98.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 ALL 9,830

$91.5 ฿3,089

33.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ALL 9,003

$71.9 ฿2,429

54.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ALL 38.8K

$482 ฿16.3K

-0.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$319 ALL 25.8K

$309 ฿10.4K

3.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 ALL 56.4K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-30.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$468 ALL 37.8K

$633 ฿21.4K

-26.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,969 ALL 159.0K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-16.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,330 ALL 107.4K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-16.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$797 ALL 64.3K

$590 ฿19.9K

35.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.75

5.57

-14.72%

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

Last update for Berat: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berat

$319 27.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 3.1% $9.9

Groceries & Markets

Berat

$268 23.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 12.5% $34

Eating Out

Berat

$162 14.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 52.2% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Berat

$149 13%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 27% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berat

$127 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 25.4% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Berat

$76 6.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 33.5% $25

Getting Around

Berat

$43 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 42.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Berat 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 35% higher in Berat. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Berat versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Berat

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:49 6:49 PM

00:49 12:49 AM

6 h ahead of Berat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,606

127,240

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.11 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇱 Albanian Lek (L)

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 80.77 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 89.91 ALL (100 ALL = 1.11 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 ALL in detail →

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Between locations

Berat Chiang Mai 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Berat
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

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

Yes – Berat is pricier by about 22%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,715 per month in Berat and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $481 in Berat and $482 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Berat, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Berat and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,143 in Berat and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,143 in Berat. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Berat makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.