Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bejaia

For one person, living is cheaper in Bejaia: $450 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Bejaia
Learn more

Bejaia Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Bejaia

🇩🇿 Algeria

$450

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $450 in Bejaia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Bejaia $450

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $759 in Bejaia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Bejaia $759

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,067 in Bejaia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Bejaia $1,067

Chiang Mai costs about 108% more than Bejaia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Bejaia are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bejaia 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.26 DZD 306

-0.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$13.51 DZD 1,826

40.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.29 DZD 580

29.37%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$0.24 DZD 32.60

595.83%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.62 DZD 83.5

3.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.18 DZD 23.80

72.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$0.68 DZD 92.2

247.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.09 DZD 148

235.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.82 DZD 111

137.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.13 DZD 17.69

1007.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.16 DZD 156

14.66%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.24 DZD 168

83.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$6.21 DZD 840

164.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.98 DZD 537

-30.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.18 DZD 1,917

-34.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.08 DZD 281

12.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.94 DZD 262

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.12 DZD 151

42.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.89 DZD 121

68.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.61 DZD 82.6

109.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.39 DZD 52.4

182.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.79 DZD 107

-10.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.25 DZD 33.43

96.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.64 DZD 357

56.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.82 DZD 922

156.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.29 DZD 174

24.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.13 DZD 153

146.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.40 DZD 53.6

117.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$17.01 DZD 2,299

217.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.54 DZD 72.9

114.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.43 DZD 57.8

23.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$5.54 DZD 749

-56.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$0.33 DZD 44.40

339.39%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$35.0K DZD 4.7M

-39.82%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$34.0K DZD 4.6M

-20.83%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$44.76 DZD 6,050

38.90%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$9.89 DZD 1,337

23.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$12.27 DZD 1,658

63.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$16.23 DZD 2,193

129.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$5.55 DZD 750

-32.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.97 DZD 402

118.52%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$115 DZD 15.6K

539.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$2,266 DZD 306.3K

551.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$31.82 DZD 4,301

67.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$34.15 DZD 4,615

-27.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$56.9 DZD 7,686

60.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$56.1 DZD 7,586

28.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$97.4 DZD 13.2K

394.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$54.5 DZD 7,368

466.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$232 DZD 31.3K

333.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$186 DZD 25.2K

240.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$4,448 DZD 601.2K

-46.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$3,804 DZD 514.1K

-58.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$215 DZD 29.0K

174.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.3

5.09%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bejaia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Bejaia

$55 12.1% 82.4% $254

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Bejaia

$162 36% 30.8% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Bejaia

$81 17.9% 25.9% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bejaia

$67 14.9% 29.2% $28

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Bejaia

$43 9.5% 45% $35

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Bejaia

$21 4.7% 65.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Bejaia

$22 4.9% 55.9% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $97 in Bejaia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $14 in Bejaia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $162 – making Bejaia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇩🇿 Bejaia

🕒 Local time

12:43 12:43 PM

06:43 6:43 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

177,988

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.4 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.4 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.63 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Bejaia 9,110 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bejaia

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 Bejaia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 108% more than Bejaia, 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 $675 in Bejaia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bejaia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $97 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Public transport costs about 69% less in Bejaia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $115 in Bejaia. 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 Bejaia, where all-in costs run around $450, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Bejaia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bejaia – 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 Bejaia. 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.