Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Baalbek

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,586 in Baalbek, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Baalbek
Learn more

Baalbek Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Baalbek

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Baalbek

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Baalbek actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,586 in Baalbek, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Baalbek $1,586

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,479 in Baalbek, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Baalbek $2,479

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,372 in Baalbek, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Baalbek $3,372

Chiang Mai is about 41% cheaper than Baalbek, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Baalbek is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$11.91 LBP 1.1M

-81.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$67.7 LBP 6.1M

-71.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.86 LBP 882.2K

-43.71%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$4.51 LBP 403.5K

-62.97%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.27 LBP 203.3K

-71.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.83 LBP 74.4K

-62.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$4.98 LBP 445.4K

-52.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.71 LBP 421.1K

-22.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.01 LBP 180.1K

-2.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.92 LBP 82.5K

56.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$2.16 LBP 193.6K

-38.43%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.51 LBP 314.0K

-35.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$11.25 LBP 1.0M

46.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$10.71 LBP 958.4K

-74.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.88 LBP 1.3M

-37.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.01 LBP 269.4K

-21.93%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.66 LBP 148.8K

-41.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.68 LBP 150.3K

-4.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.47 LBP 131.6K

2.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.22 LBP 109.1K

4.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.62 LBP 144.7K

-32.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.16 LBP 103.7K

-38.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.67 LBP 59.8K

-26.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.96 LBP 265.2K

39.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$11.12 LBP 995.3K

57.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.26 LBP 113.2K

27.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.56 LBP 228.7K

8.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$4.92 LBP 440.2K

-76.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$2.28 LBP 203.8K

-76.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$22.88 LBP 2.0M

-89.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.04 LBP 93.0K

39.42%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$53.3K LBP 4.8B

-60.48%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$33.1K LBP 3.0B

-18.71%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$215 LBP 19.2M

-71.05%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$23.82 LBP 2.1M

-48.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$38.34 LBP 3.4M

-47.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.07 LBP 901.3K

-35.55%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$686 LBP 61.4M

7.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$10.5K LBP 940.9M

40.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$67.7 LBP 6.1M

-21.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$48.63 LBP 4.4M

-49.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$138 LBP 12.3M

-33.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$120 LBP 10.7M

-39.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$922 LBP 82.5M

-47.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$603 LBP 53.9M

-48.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,470 LBP 131.5M

-31.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,189 LBP 106.4M

-46.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-49.36%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Baalbek: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Baalbek

$603 38% 95.1% $294

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Baalbek

$276 17.4% 17.9% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Baalbek

$168 10.6% 54.8% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Baalbek

$277 17.5% 193% $182

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Baalbek

$226 14.2% 191% $148

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Baalbek

$16 * 1% 73.4% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Baalbek

$20 * 1.3% 59.9% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $922 in Baalbek. 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $68 in Baalbek. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $276 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇧 Baalbek

🕒 Local time

20:34 8:34 PM

15:34 3:34 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

82,608

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD

100,000 LBP = 1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,933 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Baalbek 6,380 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Baalbek

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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $1,586 in Baalbek – Chiang Mai comes out roughly 41% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,379 in Baalbek. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $922 in Baalbek.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $68 in Baalbek. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Baalbek, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,586 in Baalbek. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,586 in Baalbek. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.