Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Beja

For one person, living is cheaper in Beja: $617 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Beja
Learn more

Beja Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Beja

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $617 in Beja, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Beja $617

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,066 in Beja, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Beja $1,066

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,515 in Beja, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Beja $1,515

Chiang Mai costs about 52% more than Beja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Beja are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Beja 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.89 TND 11.70

-42.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$16.88 TND 50.7

12.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.65 TND 13.96

19.35%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$0.65 TND 1.95

156.92%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.56 TND 1.67

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.27 TND 0.82

14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.15 TND 3.44

105.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.70 TND 5.11

115.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.47 TND 1.41

314.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.13 TND 0.40

1007.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.70 TND 5.12

-21.76%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.43 TND 4.29

59.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.23 TND 24.72

99.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$6.40 TND 19.24

-56.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$13.40 TND 40.27

-30.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.59 TND 4.79

47.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$4.55 TND 13.68

-78.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.13 TND 3.39

41.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.86 TND 2.58

74.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.61 TND 1.83

109.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.56 TND 1.70

96.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.44 TND 1.32

61.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.30 TND 0.90

63.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.39 TND 10.18

22.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$4.89 TND 14.69

258.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.22 TND 3.67

31.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.36 TND 4.10

104.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.39 TND 1.16

123.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$15.19 TND 45.65

256.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.29 TND 0.86

300.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.42 TND 1.25

26.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$5.04 TND 15.14

-51.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.79 TND 2.37

83.54%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$39.8K TND 119.7K

-47.15%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$36.5K TND 109.6K

-26.13%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$42.71 TND 128

45.56%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.28 TND 30.90

18.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$19.96 TND 60.0

0.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$19.58 TND 58.8

90.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$22.99 TND 69.1

-83.60%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.29 TND 9.87

97.26%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$61.0 TND 183

1106.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$1,221 TND 3,669

1108.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$55.3 TND 166

-3.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$64.3 TND 193

-61.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$108 TND 323

-15.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$134 TND 402

-46.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$164 TND 492

194.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$84.1 TND 253

267.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$268 TND 805

275.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$296 TND 891

113.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$404 TND 1,213

485.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$107 TND 322

1383.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$330 TND 991

78.81%

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 Beja: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Beja

$84 13.6% 72.8% $225

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Beja

$186 30.3% 20.4% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Beja

$163 26.4% 49.6% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Beja

$73 11.8% 22.8% $22

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Beja

$65 10.6% 15.8% $12

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Beja

$19 3.1% 68.9% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Beja

$26 4.2% 48% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $164 in Beja. 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 79% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $17 in Beja. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $186 – making Beja the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇳 Beja

🕒 Local time

07:58 7:58 AM

01:58 1:58 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

57,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 TND = 0.333 USD

1 TND = 0.298 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3 TND (1 TND = 0.333 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Beja 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Beja

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 Beja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 52% more than Beja, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $925 in Beja. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Beja, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $164 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Public transport costs about 72% less in Beja. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $61 in Beja. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Beja, where all-in costs run around $617, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Beja it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Beja – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Beja. 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.