Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Berat

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,147 in Berat, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Berat
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Berat Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Berat

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,147

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $906 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,147 in Berat, rent included.

Chiang Mai $906
Berat $1,147

A couple spends around $1,385 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,701 in Berat, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,385
Berat $1,701

A family of three spends $1,864 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,256 in Berat, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,864
Berat $2,256

Chiang Mai is about 21% cheaper than Berat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Berat are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Berat 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$9.69 ALL 788

-78.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.40 ฿649

$34.12 ALL 2,776

-43.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 ฿183

$8.37 ALL 681

-34.65%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ฿56.4

$1.85 ALL 151

-9.19%

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

$0.66 ฿22.10

$1.79 ALL 145

-63.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.52

$0.98 ALL 80.0

-65.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿81.0

$2.71 ALL 221

-10.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

$3.60 ALL 293

3.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ฿68.9

$2.03 ALL 165

1.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.78

$1.16 ALL 94.2

25.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ฿45.09

$2.31 ALL 188

-41.56%

Eggs

$2.27 ฿76.0

$3.03 ALL 246

-25.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.31 ฿546

$11.01 ALL 896

48.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.3

$8.31 ALL 676

-67.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.20 ฿308

$16.67 ALL 1,356

-44.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.1

$1.92 ALL 156

24.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.66

$2.48 ALL 202

-58.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.7

$1.62 ALL 132

-1.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.37

$1.43 ALL 116

0.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.59

$0.98 ALL 79.9

32.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.29

$1.25 ALL 101

-11.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ฿23.55

$0.82 ALL 66.8

-14.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.99

$0.70 ALL 56.8

-27.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 ฿138

$4.66 ALL 379

-11.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 ฿595

$10.19 ALL 829

74.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.7

$1.25 ALL 102

30.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.0

$1.49 ALL 121

92.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.76

$0.36 ALL 29.07

138.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ฿1,780

$19.80 ALL 1,611

168.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿40.81

$3.70 ALL 301

-67.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ฿18.81

$3.74 ALL 304

-85.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 ฿77.5

$18.46 ALL 1,502

-87.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$2.15 ALL 175

-30.23%

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

$20.9K ฿698.3K

$33.6K ALL 2.7M

-37.87%

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

$26.7K ฿895.0K

$35.1K ALL 2.9M

-23.85%

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

$61.3 ฿2,051

$84.7 ALL 6,889

-27.66%

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

$12.50 ฿419

$18.04 ALL 1,467

-30.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.36 ฿682

$19.88 ALL 1,617

2.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.94 ฿1,270

$54.8 ALL 4,457

-30.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿126

$18.37 ALL 1,494

-79.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 ฿221

$9.65 ALL 785

-31.61%

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

$774 ฿25.9K

$185 ALL 15.1K

318.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿483.2K

$1,810 ALL 147.3K

697.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ฿1,835

$48.80 ALL 3,971

12.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.26 ฿846

$47.56 ALL 3,870

-46.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 ฿3,032

$120 ALL 9,769

-24.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ฿2,453

$116 ALL 9,398

-36.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$459 ฿15.4K

$468 ALL 38.1K

-1.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ฿9,835

$332 ALL 27.0K

-11.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 ฿30.8K

$690 ALL 56.1K

33.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$465 ALL 37.8K

18.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.2K

$1,837 ALL 149.5K

4.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.4K

$1,225 ALL 99.6K

17.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ฿19.8K

$794 ALL 64.6K

-25.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.75

17.26%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Berat: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8%

Berat

$332 29.1% 13.1% $38

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6%

Berat

$263 23% 11.3% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9%

Berat

$149 13.1% 36.1% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Berat

$123 10.7% 30.2% $28

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4%

Berat

$157 13.7% 103% $79

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Berat

$44 3.8% 28% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Berat

$74 6.5% 44.9% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $459 in Chiang Mai versus $468 in Berat. 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 34% higher in Berat, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $34.00 in Berat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $263 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇦🇱 Berat

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

12:29 12:29 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

32,606

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 81.36 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 91.17 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Berat 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Berat

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 Berat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Berat is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,359 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,720 in Berat. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Berat, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $34.00 in Berat. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $906, than in Berat at $1,147. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berat it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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