Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Biratnagar and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Biratnagar: $319 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

15

Cost of Living Index in Biratnagar
Learn more

Biratnagar Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Biratnagar

🇳🇵 Nepal

$319

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $319 in Biratnagar versus $925 in Chiang Mai.

Biratnagar $319
Chiang Mai $925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $524 in Biratnagar versus $1,414 in Chiang Mai.

Biratnagar $524
Chiang Mai $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $730 in Biratnagar versus $1,903 in Chiang Mai.

Biratnagar $730
Chiang Mai $1,903

Living in Biratnagar costs roughly 65% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Biratnagar 76% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.51 NPR 229

$2.29 ฿76.5

-34.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.13 NPR 2,147

$19.64 ฿656

-28.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.71 NPR 1,172

$5.61 ฿188

37.43%

Cappuccino

$1.19 NPR 181

$1.66 ฿55.6

-28.31%

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

$0.34 NPR 52.1

$0.70 ฿23.40

-51.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.49 NPR 226

$2.41 ฿80.4

-38.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 NPR 327

$3.71 ฿124

-42.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.57 NPR 86.1

$1.95 ฿65.3

-70.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.39 NPR 58.5

$1.41 ฿47.03

-72.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.64 NPR 97.0

$1.31 ฿43.62

-51.15%

Eggs

$1.20 NPR 182

$2.18 ฿72.9

-44.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.49 NPR 683

$16.65 ฿556

-73.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 NPR 405

$2.76 ฿92.2

-3.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.14 NPR 477

$9.11 ฿304

-65.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 NPR 306

$2.39 ฿80.0

-15.48%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 NPR 113

$1.03 ฿34.26

-28.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 NPR 196

$1.63 ฿54.4

-20.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.49 NPR 74.3

$1.50 ฿50.0

-67.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.39 NPR 59.7

$1.29 ฿43.13

-69.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.43 NPR 65.1

$1.11 ฿37.03

-61.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.27 NPR 41.06

$0.72 ฿24.08

-62.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 NPR 41.89

$0.53 ฿17.59

-47.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.55 NPR 388

$4.31 ฿144

-40.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 NPR 243

$1.58 ฿52.9

1.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 NPR 354

$2.84 ฿95.0

-17.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 NPR 26.16

$0.86 ฿28.86

-80.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.85 NPR 1,801

$53.3 ฿1,780

-77.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 NPR 293

$1.21 ฿40.29

59.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.33 NPR 353

$2.35 ฿78.6

-0.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 NPR 181

$1.44 ฿47.96

-17.36%

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

$21.2K NPR 3.2M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

2.32%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

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

$4.23 NPR 643

$12.11 ฿405

-65.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.08 NPR 1,379

$19.94 ฿666

-54.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.91 NPR 4,240

$37.07 ฿1,239

-24.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$1.99 NPR 303

$3.78 ฿126

-47.35%

Cinema Ticket

$3.14 NPR 476

$6.50 ฿217

-51.69%

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

$47.49 NPR 7,216

$793 ฿26.5K

-94.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,727 NPR 262.4K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-88.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.02 NPR 3,042

$53.7 ฿1,796

-62.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.54 NPR 4,945

$24.62 ฿823

32.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$24.35 NPR 3,699

$90.9 ฿3,036

-73.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.47 NPR 4,477

$71.1 ฿2,378

-58.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$46.59 NPR 7,079

$455 ฿15.2K

-89.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$52.5 NPR 7,981

$298 ฿9,954

-82.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$129 NPR 19.7K

$908 ฿30.4K

-85.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$99.1 NPR 15.1K

$554 ฿18.5K

-82.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$397 NPR 60.4K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-79.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$260 NPR 39.4K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-82.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$160 NPR 24.3K

$591 ฿19.7K

-72.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

151.35%

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

Last update for Biratnagar: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Biratnagar

$94 * 29.6%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 150% $141

Eating Out

Biratnagar

$63 * 19.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 25.6% $16

Accommodation & Living

Biratnagar

$53 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 467% $245

Clothing & Footwear

Biratnagar

$48 15%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 126% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Biratnagar

$34 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 46.5% $16

Getting Around

Biratnagar

$14 * 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 320% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Biratnagar

$13 * 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 609% $81

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $46.59 in Biratnagar and $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 269% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $14.00 in Biratnagar vs $20.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $94.0 vs $235 per month, with Biratnagar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇵 Biratnagar

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:36 4:36 PM

17:51 5:51 PM

1 h 15 min ahead of Biratnagar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

166,674

127,240

💱 Currency

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 NPR = 6.58 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.85 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to NPR – Nepalese Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇵 Nepalese Rupee (रु)

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.58 USD). 1 EUR = 171 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.85 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to NPR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Biratnagar Chiang Mai 1,470 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Biratnagar
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

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

Biratnagar is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 190% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 269% lower in Chiang Mai. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $46.59 in Biratnagar versus $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 150% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Biratnagar – a meal for two runs $14.00 versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $319 in Biratnagar versus $925 in Chiang Mai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Biratnagar but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Biratnagar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Biratnagar is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Chiang Mai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Biratnagar and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Biratnagar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 190% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.