Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Biskra and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Biskra: $540 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Biskra
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Biskra Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Biskra

🇩🇿 Algeria

$540

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $540 per month in Biskra vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Biskra $540
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $869 per month in Biskra vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Biskra $869
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,199 per month in Biskra vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Biskra $1,199
Chiang Mai $1,914

Biskra is about 43% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Biskra and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Biskra 60% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.77 DZD 371

$2.26 ฿75.4

22.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.60 DZD 3,695

$19.18 ฿641

43.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.99 DZD 535

$5.59 ฿187

-28.62%

Cappuccino

$1.31 DZD 175

$1.72 ฿57.6

-23.84%

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

$1.07 DZD 143

$0.64 ฿21.54

67.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 DZD 39.99

$0.33 ฿11.18

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 DZD 234

$2.36 ฿78.7

-25.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 DZD 314

$3.90 ฿130

-39.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 DZD 180

$2.05 ฿68.6

-34.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.16 DZD 21.44

$1.40 ฿46.70

-88.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 DZD 173

$1.28 ฿42.89

0.78%

Eggs

$1.40 DZD 188

$2.25 ฿75.3

-37.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.35 DZD 850

$16.94 ฿566

-62.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 DZD 466

$2.74 ฿91.6

27.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.39 DZD 2,462

$9.36 ฿313

96.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.63 DZD 486

$2.40 ฿80.3

51.25%

Banana (1kg)

$3.35 DZD 448

$1.01 ฿33.92

231.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 DZD 238

$1.61 ฿53.9

10.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 DZD 93.1

$1.52 ฿50.7

-53.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 DZD 98.0

$1.28 ฿42.90

-42.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.45 DZD 60.4

$1.11 ฿37.22

-59.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.38 DZD 50.3

$0.72 ฿24.09

-47.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 DZD 41.38

$0.52 ฿17.54

-40.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 DZD 478

$4.33 ฿145

-17.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.66 DZD 1,025

$17.73 ฿593

-56.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 DZD 152

$1.63 ฿54.4

-30.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 DZD 275

$2.85 ฿95.3

-28.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 DZD 30.88

$0.85 ฿28.31

-72.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.51 DZD 1,006

$53.9 ฿1,801

-86.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 DZD 148

$1.17 ฿39.18

-5.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 DZD 58.1

$0.57 ฿19.00

-24.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.56 DZD 745

$2.37 ฿79.2

134.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.33 DZD 44.73

$1.45 ฿48.32

-77.24%

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

$32.0K DZD 4.3M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

56.36%

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

$33.7K DZD 4.5M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

27.25%

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

$35.85 DZD 4,799

$62.3 ฿2,083

-42.48%

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

$8.60 DZD 1,152

$12.27 ฿410

-29.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.90 DZD 1,862

$19.97 ฿668

-30.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.96 DZD 2,940

$37.91 ฿1,267

-42.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 DZD 611

$6.71 ฿224

-31.89%

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

$331 DZD 44.4K

$797 ฿26.6K

-58.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,807 DZD 643.6K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-67.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.71 DZD 4,379

$53.3 ฿1,780

-38.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.73 DZD 2,775

$25.05 ฿837

-17.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.9 DZD 9,093

$91.6 ฿3,062

-25.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.65 DZD 3,701

$73.5 ฿2,455

-62.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$141 DZD 18.8K

$464 ฿15.5K

-69.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$103 DZD 13.8K

$305 ฿10.2K

-66.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$156 DZD 20.9K

$915 ฿30.6K

-82.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 DZD 19.7K

$552 ฿18.5K

-73.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$959 DZD 128.4K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-49.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,038 DZD 139.0K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-27.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$228 DZD 30.5K

$595 ฿19.9K

-61.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.3

5.57

-4.85%

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

Last update for Biskra: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Biskra

$200 37%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 19.1% $38

Accommodation & Living

Biskra

$103 19.1%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 196% $202

Eating Out

Biskra

$69 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 15% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Biskra

$67 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 63.3% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Biskra

$58 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 62.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Biskra

$31 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 65.1% $20

Getting Around

Biskra

$12 2.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 424% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $141 in Biskra versus $464 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 161% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Biskra versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $200 in Biskra vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Biskra wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇿 Biskra

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:22 4:22 PM

22:22 10:22 PM

6 h ahead of Biskra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

205,608

127,240

💱 Currency

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to DZD – Algerian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇿 Algerian Dinar (د.ج)

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 134 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to DZD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Biskra Chiang Mai 9,110 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Biskra
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

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

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 74%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $809 per month in Biskra and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Biskra, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $540 in Biskra and $938 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 74%.

Public transport costs about 618% less in Biskra. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Biskra, where all-in costs run around $540, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Biskra it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Biskra – 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.

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