Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Birjand and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Birjand: $515 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Birjand
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Birjand Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Birjand

🇮🇷 Iran

$515

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $515 per month in Birjand vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Birjand $515
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $826 per month in Birjand vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Birjand $826
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,136 per month in Birjand vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Birjand $1,136
Chiang Mai $1,979

Birjand is about 45% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Birjand and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Birjand 62% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.44 $3.44

$2.24 ฿75.7

53.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.57 $15.57

$19.00 ฿642

-18.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.90 $3.90

$5.55 ฿188

-29.73%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.65 $0.65

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 $1.08

Cappuccino

$1.05 $1.05

$1.67 ฿56.6

-37.13%

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

$0.49 $0.49

$0.64 ฿21.56

-23.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 $0.87

$0.31 ฿10.32

180.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 $0.69

$1.95 ฿65.8

-64.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 $0.57

$1.44 ฿48.51

-60.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.33 ฿45.07

51.88%

Eggs

$1.22 $1.22

$2.28 ฿77.1

-46.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.81 $3.81

$16.45 ฿556

-76.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.79 $3.79

$2.78 ฿94.0

36.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.78 $10.78

$9.31 ฿314

15.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 $1.03

$2.35 ฿79.5

-56.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 $1.57

$0.97 ฿32.82

61.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$1.60 ฿53.9

-40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.62 $0.62

$1.50 ฿50.7

-58.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.60 $0.60

$1.28 ฿43.15

-53.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 $0.48

$1.10 ฿37.22

-56.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 $0.56

$0.71 ฿23.84

-21.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 $0.27

$0.49 ฿16.38

-44.90%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.85 $0.85

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 $0.60

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.87 $2.87

$4.14 ฿140

-30.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 $0.15

$0.87 ฿29.33

-82.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.93 $8.93

$54.1 ฿1,827

-83.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.43 $0.43

$1.16 ฿39.08

-62.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 $0.32

$0.53 ฿17.82

-39.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.33 $2.33

$2.42 ฿81.8

-3.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.10 $0.10

$1.45 ฿48.93

-93.10%

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

$49.8K $49.8K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

136.66%

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

$45.7K $45.7K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

69.68%

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

$11.48 $11.48

$62.2 ฿2,100

-81.53%

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

$1.79 $1.79

$12.17 ฿411

-85.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.79 $3.79

$20.12 ฿680

-81.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.47 $18.47

$37.31 ฿1,260

-50.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.40 $14.40

$3.77 ฿127

281.96%

Cinema Ticket

$2.11 $2.11

$6.49 ฿219

-67.49%

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

$124 $124

$736 ฿24.9K

-83.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,067 $2,067

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-86.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.51 $22.51

$53.4 ฿1,802

-57.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.40 $25.40

$24.64 ฿832

3.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 $91.6

$91.5 ฿3,089

0.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.7 $67.7

$71.9 ฿2,429

-5.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$309 $309

$482 ฿16.3K

-35.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 $196

$309 ฿10.4K

-36.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$725 $725

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-27.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$345 $345

$633 ฿21.4K

-45.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,117 $1,117

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-52.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$487 $487

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-69.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.3

5.57

336.27%

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

Last update for Birjand: 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

Birjand

$196 38%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 57.8% $113

Groceries & Markets

Birjand

$118 22.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 98.7% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Birjand

$93 18.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 16.5% $15

Eating Out

Birjand

$57 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 35.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Birjand

$23 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 122% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Birjand

$17 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 454% $77

Getting Around

Birjand

$12 2.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 431% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $309 in Birjand 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Birjand versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $118 vs $234 – making Birjand the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Birjand

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:49 2:49 PM

18:19 6:19 PM

3 h 30 min ahead of Birjand

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

203,636

127,240

💱 Currency

USD USD

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Birjand Chiang Mai 4,250 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Birjand
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $515 in Birjand, $936 in Chiang Mai – roughly 82% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $773 per month in Birjand 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 Birjand, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $309 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Groceries cost about 99% more in Chiang Mai, 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 $16 in Birjand and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $515 in Birjand and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Birjand – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

For expats, Birjand is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 82% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.