Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Byblos and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,010 in Byblos, rent and utilities included – about $860 less a year. The total is higher in Byblos despite lower rent and utilities.

49

Cost of Living Index in Byblos
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Byblos Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Byblos

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,010

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,010 in Byblos versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Byblos $1,010
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,624 in Byblos versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Byblos $1,624
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,238 in Byblos versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Byblos $2,238
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Byblos is roughly 8% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Byblos 25% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.27 LBP 829.5K

$2.26 ฿75.4

310.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.59 LBP 3.8M

$19.18 ฿641

122.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.08 LBP 633.7K

$5.59 ฿187

26.65%

Cappuccino

$3.07 LBP 274.9K

$1.72 ฿57.6

78.49%

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

$0.98 LBP 87.5K

$0.64 ฿21.54

53.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 LBP 91.2K

$0.33 ฿11.18

209.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 LBP 112.1K

$2.05 ฿68.6

-39.02%

White Bread (500g)

$0.62 LBP 55.9K

$1.40 ฿46.70

-55.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 LBP 143.6K

$1.28 ฿42.89

25.00%

Eggs

$2.14 LBP 191.7K

$2.25 ฿75.3

-4.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 LBP 793.6K

$16.94 ฿566

-47.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.16 LBP 730.6K

$2.74 ฿91.6

197.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 LBP 1.1M

$9.36 ฿313

29.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 LBP 273.2K

$2.40 ฿80.3

27.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 LBP 176.2K

$1.01 ฿33.92

95.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 LBP 88.5K

$1.61 ฿53.9

-38.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 LBP 174.7K

$1.52 ฿50.7

28.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 LBP 86.8K

$1.28 ฿42.90

-24.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 LBP 90.6K

$1.11 ฿37.22

-9.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 LBP 91.9K

$0.72 ฿24.09

43.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 LBP 87.7K

$0.52 ฿17.54

88.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

Wine (Bottle)

$4.12 LBP 368.6K

$17.73 ฿593

-76.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 LBP 138.2K

$1.63 ฿54.4

-5.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 LBP 177.4K

$2.85 ฿95.3

-30.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 LBP 86.9K

$0.85 ฿28.31

14.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 LBP 87.0K

$0.57 ฿19.00

70.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 LBP 85.6K

$1.45 ฿48.32

-33.79%

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

$22.5K LBP 2.0B

$20.5K ฿684.3K

9.89%

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

$22.8K LBP 2.0B

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-13.87%

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

$101 LBP 9.0M

$62.3 ฿2,083

61.46%

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

$22.20 LBP 2.0M

$12.27 ฿410

80.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.91 LBP 2.2M

$19.97 ฿668

24.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.59 LBP 3.4M

$37.91 ฿1,267

-0.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.66 LBP 3.6M

$3.76 ฿126

981.38%

Cinema Ticket

$10.15 LBP 908.4K

$6.71 ฿224

51.27%

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

$399 LBP 35.7M

$797 ฿26.6K

-49.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,021 LBP 270.3M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-79.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.9 LBP 8.9M

$53.3 ฿1,780

87.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$101 LBP 9.0M

$25.05 ฿837

302.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$119 LBP 10.7M

$91.6 ฿3,062

29.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 LBP 13.6M

$73.5 ฿2,455

106.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$299 LBP 26.8M

$464 ฿15.5K

-35.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$224 LBP 20.0M

$305 ฿10.2K

-26.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$808 LBP 72.3M

$915 ฿30.6K

-11.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$404 LBP 36.1M

$552 ฿18.5K

-26.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,321 LBP 118.3M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-30.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$841 LBP 75.2M

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-41.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,016 LBP 90.9M

$595 ฿19.9K

70.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

43.63%

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

Last update for Byblos: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Byblos

$224 22.2%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 36.2% $81

Groceries & Markets

Byblos

$219 21.7%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 8.6% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Byblos

$212 21%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 48.4% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Byblos

$148 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 36% $53

Eating Out

Byblos

$140 * 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 43.7% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Byblos

$58 5.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 11.3% $6.5

Getting Around

Byblos

$8.7 * 0.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 602% $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 $299 in Byblos and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Byblos pays 71% 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: $43.00 in Byblos vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $219 vs $238, with Byblos cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Byblos

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:25 6:25 AM

10:25 10:25 AM

4 h ahead of Byblos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,784

127,240

💱 Currency

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to LBP – Lebanese Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇧 Lebanese Pound (ل.ل)

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,618 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 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 LBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Byblos Chiang Mai 6,430 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Byblos
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

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

Chiang Mai is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and leisure. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 71% higher in Byblos, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $299 in Byblos versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $399 in Byblos versus $797 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 $19.00 versus $43.00 in Byblos. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,010 in Byblos, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Byblos. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Byblos 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 Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Byblos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.