Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Birgunj

For one person, living is cheaper in Birgunj: $354 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Birgunj
Learn more

Birgunj Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Birgunj

🇳🇵 Nepal

$354

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $354 in Birgunj.

Chiang Mai $936
Birgunj $354

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $576 in Birgunj.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Birgunj $576

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $797 in Birgunj.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Birgunj $797

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 164% more expensive than in Birgunj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Birgunj 74% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$1.29 NPR 197

73.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$19.97 NPR 3,031

-4.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.17 NPR 1,088

-22.59%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.53 NPR 232

9.15%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.56 NPR 84.4

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.15 NPR 22.24

106.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.25 NPR 341

4.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$3.37 NPR 512

8.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.63 NPR 95.9

209.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.24 NPR 36.13

500.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.60 NPR 91.7

121.67%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.58 NPR 240

44.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$7.28 NPR 1,105

125.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.30 NPR 350

20.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$6.15 NPR 934

51.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.00 NPR 304

17.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$0.95 NPR 144

2.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.36 NPR 206

17.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.56 NPR 84.3

167.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.41 NPR 62.6

212.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.51 NPR 77.4

115.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.12 NPR 17.64

491.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.22 NPR 33.92

122.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.62 NPR 246

155.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$8.06 NPR 1,223

117.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$2.22 NPR 337

-27.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.07 NPR 466

-9.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.13 NPR 19.79

569.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.84 NPR 280

-36.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$1.21 NPR 183

-56.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$3.18 NPR 483

-23.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.09 NPR 166

33.03%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$36.4K NPR 5.5M

-42.07%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$36.2K NPR 5.5M

-25.58%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$31.67 NPR 4,808

96.31%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$3.32 NPR 504

266.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$9.24 NPR 1,403

117.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$13.32 NPR 2,022

180.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$1.93 NPR 293

236.27%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$67.5 NPR 10.3K

990.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$5,584 NPR 847.7K

164.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$24.27 NPR 3,684

119.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$27.21 NPR 4,130

-9.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$26.11 NPR 3,964

250.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$16.21 NPR 2,460

343.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$33.93 NPR 5,150

1321.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$39.29 NPR 5,965

686.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$123 NPR 18.7K

716.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$77.4 NPR 11.8K

718.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$654 NPR 99.3K

261.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$495 NPR 75.2K

220.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.98

-44.19%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Birgunj: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Birgunj

$39 11.1% 87.3% $270

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Birgunj

$132 37.2% 43.7% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Birgunj

$42 11.9% 61.1% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Birgunj

$44 12.5% 53.2% $50

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Birgunj

$71 20% 8.5% $6.6

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Birgunj

$8.4 * 2.4% 86.3% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Birgunj

$17 4.9% 65.8% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $34 in Birgunj. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $20 in Birgunj. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $132, with Birgunj cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇳🇵 Birgunj

🕒 Local time

10:55 10:55 AM

09:40 9:40 AM

1 h 15 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

135,904

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Nepalese Rupee NPR रु

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD

1,000 NPR = 5.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NPR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Nepalese Rupee exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 152 NPR (1,000 NPR = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 170 NPR (1,000 NPR = 5.88 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Birgunj 1,710 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Birgunj

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 Birgunj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Birgunj wins on cost – living expenses run 62% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Birgunj the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $531 in Birgunj 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $34 in Birgunj. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $68 in Birgunj. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $20 in Birgunj. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $354 in Birgunj versus $936 in Chiang Mai, a $800 budget is realistic in Birgunj but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Birgunj the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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