Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Birgunj and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Birgunj: $354 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

17

Cost of Living Index in Birgunj
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Birgunj Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Birgunj

🇳🇵 Nepal

$354

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $354 in Birgunj versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Birgunj $354
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $576 in Birgunj versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Birgunj $576
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $797 in Birgunj versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Birgunj $797
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Birgunj costs roughly 62% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Birgunj 74% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.29 NPR 197

$2.24 ฿75.5

-42.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.97 NPR 3,031

$19.00 ฿640

5.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.17 NPR 1,088

$5.55 ฿187

29.19%

Cappuccino

$1.53 NPR 232

$1.67 ฿56.4

-8.38%

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

$0.56 NPR 84.4

$0.64 ฿21.51

-12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 NPR 22.24

$0.31 ฿10.29

-51.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 NPR 341

$2.36 ฿79.5

-4.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 NPR 512

$3.66 ฿123

-7.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.63 NPR 95.9

$1.95 ฿65.7

-67.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.24 NPR 36.13

$1.44 ฿48.41

-83.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.60 NPR 91.7

$1.33 ฿44.97

-54.89%

Eggs

$1.58 NPR 240

$2.28 ฿77.0

-30.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.28 NPR 1,105

$16.45 ฿554

-55.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.30 NPR 350

$2.78 ฿93.8

-17.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.15 NPR 934

$9.31 ฿314

-33.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 NPR 304

$2.35 ฿79.3

-14.89%

Banana (1kg)

$0.95 NPR 144

$0.97 ฿32.75

-2.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 NPR 206

$1.60 ฿53.8

-15.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 NPR 84.3

$1.50 ฿50.6

-62.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.41 NPR 62.6

$1.28 ฿43.06

-67.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 NPR 77.4

$1.10 ฿37.14

-53.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.12 NPR 17.64

$0.71 ฿23.79

-83.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 NPR 33.92

$0.49 ฿16.34

-55.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.62 NPR 246

$4.14 ฿140

-60.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.06 NPR 1,223

$17.52 ฿590

-54.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 NPR 337

$1.61 ฿54.4

37.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 NPR 466

$2.78 ฿93.8

10.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 NPR 19.79

$0.87 ฿29.27

-85.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 NPR 280

$1.16 ฿39.00

58.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 NPR 183

$0.53 ฿17.78

128.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 NPR 483

$2.42 ฿81.6

31.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 NPR 166

$1.45 ฿48.82

-24.83%

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

$36.4K NPR 5.5M

$21.1K ฿709.7K

72.62%

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

$36.2K NPR 5.5M

$26.9K ฿907.9K

34.37%

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

$31.67 NPR 4,808

$62.2 ฿2,095

-49.06%

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

$3.32 NPR 504

$12.17 ฿410

-72.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.24 NPR 1,403

$20.12 ฿678

-54.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.32 NPR 2,022

$37.31 ฿1,257

-64.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$1.93 NPR 293

$6.49 ฿219

-70.26%

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

$67.5 NPR 10.3K

$736 ฿24.8K

-90.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,584 NPR 847.7K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-62.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.27 NPR 3,684

$53.4 ฿1,799

-54.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.21 NPR 4,130

$24.64 ฿830

10.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$26.11 NPR 3,964

$91.5 ฿3,083

-71.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$16.21 NPR 2,460

$71.9 ฿2,424

-77.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$33.93 NPR 5,150

$482 ฿16.3K

-92.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$39.29 NPR 5,965

$309 ฿10.4K

-87.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$123 NPR 18.7K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-87.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$77.4 NPR 11.8K

$633 ฿21.3K

-87.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$654 NPR 99.3K

$2,363 ฿79.6K

-72.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$495 NPR 75.2K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-68.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.98

5.57

79.17%

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

Last update for Birgunj: 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

Birgunj

$132 37.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 77.7% $102

Eating Out

Birgunj

$71 20%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 9.3% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Birgunj

$44 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 114% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Birgunj

$42 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 157% $66

Accommodation & Living

Birgunj

$39 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 686% $270

Sport & Entertainment

Birgunj

$17 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 193% $33

Getting Around

Birgunj

$8.4 * 2.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 631% $53

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 $34 in Birgunj and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $20 in Birgunj vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $132 vs $234, with Birgunj cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇳🇵 Birgunj

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:27 9:27 AM

10:42 10:42 AM

1 h 15 min ahead of Birgunj

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

135,904

127,240

💱 Currency

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.88 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 170 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.88 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to NPR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Birgunj Chiang Mai 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Birgunj
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

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

Birgunj wins on cost – living expenses run 62% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Birgunj the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $531 in Birgunj 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $34 in Birgunj versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $68 in Birgunj versus $736 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $20 in Birgunj. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $354 in Birgunj versus $936 in Chiang Mai, a $800 budget is realistic in Birgunj but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Birgunj the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Birgunj and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.