Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bien Hoa

For one person, living is cheaper in Bien Hoa: $671 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Bien Hoa
Learn more

Bien Hoa Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Bien Hoa

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$671

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Bien Hoa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $671 in Bien Hoa.

Chiang Mai $936
Bien Hoa $671

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $921 in Bien Hoa.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Bien Hoa $921

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $1,172 in Bien Hoa.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Bien Hoa $1,172

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 40% more expensive than in Bien Hoa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bien Hoa 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$1.90 ₫48.9K

17.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$11.66 ₫300.9K

62.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.72 ₫121.9K

17.58%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.17 ₫30.2K

42.74%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.43 ₫11.0K

48.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.21 ₫5,417

47.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$0.52 ₫13.3K

353.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$0.78 ₫20.2K

369.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.23 ₫31.8K

58.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.79 ₫20.5K

82.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$0.94 ₫24.2K

41.49%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.44 ₫37.1K

58.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$11.93 ₫307.7K

37.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.96 ₫50.5K

41.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.82 ₫253.4K

-5.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.06 ₫53.2K

14.08%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.24 ₫32.1K

-21.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.18 ₫30.3K

35.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.94 ₫24.2K

59.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.18 ₫30.5K

8.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.15 ₫29.6K

-4.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.41 ₫10.5K

73.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.49 ₫12.7K

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.26 ₫32.4K

228.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.63 ₫197.0K

129.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.40 ₫10.2K

302.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$0.80 ₫20.7K

247.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.31 ₫8,119

180.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$6.53 ₫168.4K

728.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.49 ₫12.6K

136.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-5.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$1.13 ₫29.2K

114.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.86 ₫22.1K

68.60%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$31.0K ₫800.4M

-32.12%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$29.5K ₫761.4M

-8.70%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$50.9 ₫1.3M

22.21%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$4.13 ₫106.6K

194.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$6.59 ₫169.9K

205.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$10.97 ₫283.0K

240.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$7.86 ₫202.8K

-52.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.42 ₫88.3K

89.77%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$67.4 ₫1.7M

992.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$14.6K ₫376.4M

1.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$15.21 ₫392.4K

250.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$15.57 ₫401.8K

58.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$68.0 ₫1.8M

34.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$94.6 ₫2.4M

-23.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$408 ₫10.5M

18.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$279 ₫7.2M

10.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$423 ₫10.9M

137.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$305 ₫7.9M

107.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,244 ₫57.9M

5.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,241 ₫32.0M

28.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$315 ₫8.1M

87.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.8

-28.59%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bien Hoa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Bien Hoa

$279 41.6% 9.7% $30

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Bien Hoa

$164 24.5% 29.9% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Bien Hoa

$87 13% 19.9% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bien Hoa

$62 9.2% 34.8% $33

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Bien Hoa

$50 7.5% 35.5% $28

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Bien Hoa

$11 1.7% 82% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Bien Hoa

$18 2.7% 64.6% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $408 in Bien Hoa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 87% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $12 in Bien Hoa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $164 per month, with Bien Hoa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇻🇳 Bien Hoa

🕒 Local time

08:07 8:07 AM

Same time as Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,272,235

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, 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).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 25,802 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,810 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Bien Hoa 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bien Hoa

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 Bien Hoa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bien Hoa is about 28% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 87% higher in Chiang Mai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $408 in Bien Hoa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bien Hoa – a meal for two runs $12 versus $19 in Chiang Mai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Bien Hoa are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Bien Hoa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.