Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Birjand

For one person, living is cheaper in Birjand: $515 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Birjand
Learn more

Birjand Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Birjand

🇮🇷 Iran

$515

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $515 in Birjand, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Birjand $515

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $826 in Birjand, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Birjand $826

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,136 in Birjand, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Birjand $1,136

Chiang Mai costs about 82% more than Birjand, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Birjand are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Birjand 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$3.44 $3.44

-34.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$15.57 $15.57

22.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$3.90 $3.90

42.31%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.65 $0.65

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 $1.08

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.05 $1.05

59.05%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.49 $0.49

30.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.87 $0.87

-64.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.69 $0.69

182.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.57 $0.57

152.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.02 $2.02

-34.16%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.22 $1.22

86.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$3.81 $3.81

331.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.79 $3.79

-26.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.78 $10.78

-13.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.03 $1.03

128.16%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.57 $1.57

-38.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.96 $0.96

66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.62 $0.62

141.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.60 $0.60

113.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.48 $0.48

129.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.56 $0.56

26.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.27 $0.27

81.48%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.85 $0.85

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 $0.60

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 $1.52

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.87 $2.87

44.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.15 $0.15

480.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$8.93 $8.93

505.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.43 $0.43

169.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.32 $0.32

65.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$2.33 $2.33

3.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.10 $0.10

1350.00%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$49.8K $49.8K

-57.74%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$45.7K $45.7K

-41.07%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$11.48 $11.48

441.55%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$1.79 $1.79

579.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$3.79 $3.79

430.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$18.47 $18.47

102.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$14.40 $14.40

-73.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.11 $2.11

207.58%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$124 $124

494.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$2,067 $2,067

614.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$22.51 $22.51

137.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$25.40 $25.40

-2.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$91.6 $91.6

-0.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$67.7 $67.7

6.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$309 $309

56.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$196 $196

57.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$725 $725

38.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$345 $345

83.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,117 $1,117

111.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$487 $487

226.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

24.3

-77.08%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Birjand: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Birjand

$196 38% 36.6% $113

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Birjand

$118 22.9% 49.7% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Birjand

$93 18.1% 14.2% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Birjand

$17 3.3% 81.9% $77

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Birjand

$57 11.1% 26.2% $20

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Birjand

$12 2.2% 81.2% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Birjand

$23 4.4% 54.9% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $309 in Birjand. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $16 in Birjand. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $118 – making Birjand the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇷 Birjand

🕒 Local time

19:11 7:11 PM

15:41 3:41 PM

3 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

203,636

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Birjand 4,250 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Birjand

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 Birjand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $515 in Birjand – roughly 82% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $773 in Birjand. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Birjand, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $309 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Groceries cost about 99% more in Chiang Mai, 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 in Chiang Mai and $16 in Birjand. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $515 in Birjand, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Birjand – 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.

For expats, Birjand is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 82% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.