Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Baglung

For one person, living is cheaper in Baglung: $374 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 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
18

Cost of Living Index in Baglung
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Baglung Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Baglung

🇳🇵 Nepal

$374

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Baglung actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $374 in Baglung, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Baglung $374

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $586 in Baglung, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Baglung $586

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $799 in Baglung, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Baglung $799

Chiang Mai costs about 150% more than Baglung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Baglung are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Baglung 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$1.92 NPR 291

10.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$9.66 NPR 1,462

92.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$7.43 NPR 1,125

-24.63%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.57 NPR 238

5.73%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$0.51 NPR 77.9

27.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.15 NPR 23.34

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$2.36 NPR 357

-1.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.35 NPR 507

9.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$0.75 NPR 114

169.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$0.37 NPR 56.3

281.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$0.81 NPR 123

71.60%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$1.69 NPR 256

40.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$7.30 NPR 1,105

126.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$3.20 NPR 484

-16.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$5.99 NPR 907

50.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$2.09 NPR 317

14.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$1.20 NPR 182

-13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$0.64 NPR 97.4

159.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$0.55 NPR 82.9

183.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$0.38 NPR 57.6

226.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$0.50 NPR 75.2

118.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$0.25 NPR 37.70

204.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.24 NPR 36.45

112.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.45 NPR 370

68.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$7.89 NPR 1,195

127.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$2.32 NPR 351

-30.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$2.95 NPR 447

-4.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$0.55 NPR 83.5

69.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$7.75 NPR 1,173

582.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$0.95 NPR 144

24.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$1.20 NPR 182

-85.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$3.25 NPR 491

-44.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$1.11 NPR 168

32.43%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$26.8K NPR 4.1M

-21.58%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$36.7K NPR 5.6M

-27.83%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$31.55 NPR 4,777

98.29%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$3.19 NPR 483

263.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$8.94 NPR 1,354

127.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$26.59 NPR 4,026

42.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$3.30 NPR 499

12.12%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$2.98 NPR 451

118.46%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$38.79 NPR 5,873

1774.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$5,416 NPR 820.1K

206.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$24.07 NPR 3,644

122.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$26.35 NPR 3,991

-5.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$62.6 NPR 9,475

44.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$29.10 NPR 4,407

147.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$3,337 NPR 505.3K

-27.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$2,293 NPR 347.1K

-29.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$163 NPR 24.6K

265.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-38.11%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Baglung: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Baglung

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Baglung

$139 37.3% 41.1% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Baglung

$64 17.1% 41% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Baglung

$44 11.7% 53.8% $51

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Baglung

$78 20.8% 1.4% $1.1

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Baglung

$17 4.5% 71.2% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Baglung

$33 8.7% 36.1% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $10 in Baglung. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $139 – making Baglung the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇵 Baglung

🕒 Local time

01:16 1:16 AM

00:01 12:01 AM

1 h 15 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

29,360

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.6 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NPR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 151 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.6 USD). 1 EUR = 170 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.89 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Baglung 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Baglung

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 Baglung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai, $374 in Baglung – Baglung comes out roughly 60% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $561 in Baglung. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $935 in Chiang Mai and $374 in Baglung. That makes Baglung about 60% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 85% less in Baglung. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $374 in Baglung, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $374 in Baglung to $935 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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