Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bakixanov

For one person, living is cheaper in Bakixanov: $516 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Bakixanov
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Bakixanov Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Bakixanov

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

$516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai versus $516 in Bakixanov.

Chiang Mai $935
Bakixanov $516

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Chiang Mai versus $894 in Bakixanov.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Bakixanov $894

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,999 in Chiang Mai versus $1,273 in Bakixanov.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Bakixanov $1,273

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 81% more expensive than in Bakixanov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bakixanov 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$9.06 ₼15.41

-76.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$40.24 ₼68.4

-53.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$5.90 ₼10.02

-5.08%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.71 ₼4.61

-38.75%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$0.85 ₼1.44

-23.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.62 ₼1.05

-51.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$1.19 ₼2.02

94.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.36 ₼4.02

55.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.35 ₼2.29

49.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$0.32 ₼0.55

340.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$2.32 ₼3.95

-40.09%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$1.13 ₼1.93

109.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$2.85 ₼4.84

479.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$4.45 ₼7.57

-40.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$8.71 ₼14.81

3.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$0.63 ₼1.07

280.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$1.57 ₼2.66

-33.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$1.42 ₼2.42

16.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.01 ₼1.72

54.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$0.60 ₼1.02

106.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$0.52 ₼0.88

109.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$0.43 ₼0.74

76.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.54 ₼0.92

-5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.95 ₼5.02

39.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$5.22 ₼8.87

243.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$0.93 ₼1.59

74.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$1.88 ₼3.20

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$0.30 ₼0.51

210.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$0.30 ₼0.51

293.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.28 ₼0.47

-39.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$3.48 ₼5.91

-47.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$0.64 ₼1.09

129.69%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$23.9K ₼40.5K

-11.91%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$22.6K ₼38.5K

17.18%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$33.42 ₼56.8

87.19%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$11.17 ₼18.99

3.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$14.95 ₼25.41

35.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$5.73 ₼9.74

13.61%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$277 ₼471

162.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$6,670 ₼11.3K

148.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$66.2 ₼113

-19.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$54.7 ₼93.0

-54.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$126 ₼214

-28.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$114 ₼194

-37.00%

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

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-20.43%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bakixanov: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Bakixanov

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Bakixanov

$141 27.3% 40.5% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Bakixanov

$162 31.5% 49.9% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bakixanov

$60 11.5% 37% $35

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Bakixanov

$139 27% 81.9% $63

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Bakixanov

$2.9 * 0.6% 95.1% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Bakixanov

$11 * 2.2% 77.5% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $40 in Bakixanov. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $141, with Bakixanov cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇦🇿 Bakixanov

🕒 Local time

20:16 8:16 PM

17:16 5:16 PM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

64,700

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Azerbaijani Manat AZN ₼

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 AZN = 0.588 USD

1 AZN = 0.525 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AZN, 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).

Azerbaijani Manat exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1.7 AZN (1 AZN = 0.588 USD). 1 EUR = 1.91 AZN (1 AZN = 0.525 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Bakixanov 5,230 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bakixanov

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 Bakixanov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $935 in Chiang Mai and $516 in Bakixanov, so Bakixanov is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $774 in Bakixanov to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 68% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $935 per month in Chiang Mai versus $516 in Bakixanov – Bakixanov is about 45% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Bakixanov gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Bakixanov are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.