Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Biskra

For one person, living is cheaper in Biskra: $540 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Biskra
Learn more

Biskra Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Biskra

🇩🇿 Algeria

$540

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $540 in Biskra, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Biskra $540

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $869 in Biskra, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Biskra $869

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,199 in Biskra, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Biskra $1,199

Chiang Mai costs about 74% more than Biskra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Biskra are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Biskra 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$2.77 DZD 371

-18.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$27.60 DZD 3,695

-30.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$3.99 DZD 535

40.10%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.31 DZD 175

31.30%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.07 DZD 143

-40.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.30 DZD 39.99

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.75 DZD 234

34.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$2.35 DZD 314

65.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.35 DZD 180

51.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.16 DZD 21.44

775.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.29 DZD 173

-0.78%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.40 DZD 188

60.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$6.35 DZD 850

166.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$3.48 DZD 466

-21.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$18.39 DZD 2,462

-49.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$3.63 DZD 486

-33.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$3.35 DZD 448

-69.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.78 DZD 238

-9.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$0.70 DZD 93.1

117.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.73 DZD 98.0

75.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.45 DZD 60.4

146.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.38 DZD 50.3

89.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.31 DZD 41.38

67.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$3.57 DZD 478

21.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$7.66 DZD 1,025

131.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.13 DZD 152

44.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.05 DZD 275

39.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.23 DZD 30.88

269.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$7.51 DZD 1,006

617.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.11 DZD 148

5.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.43 DZD 58.1

32.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$5.56 DZD 745

-57.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.33 DZD 44.73

339.39%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$32.0K DZD 4.3M

-36.04%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$33.7K DZD 4.5M

-21.41%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$35.85 DZD 4,799

73.86%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$8.60 DZD 1,152

42.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$13.90 DZD 1,862

43.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$21.96 DZD 2,940

72.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$4.57 DZD 611

46.83%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$331 DZD 44.4K

140.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$4,807 DZD 643.6K

208.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$32.71 DZD 4,379

62.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$20.73 DZD 2,775

20.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$67.9 DZD 9,093

34.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$27.65 DZD 3,701

165.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$141 DZD 18.8K

229.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$103 DZD 13.8K

196.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$156 DZD 20.9K

487.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$147 DZD 19.7K

275.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$959 DZD 128.4K

99.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$1,038 DZD 139.0K

38.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$228 DZD 30.5K

161.35%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Biskra: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Biskra

$103 19.1% 66.2% $202

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Biskra

$200 37% 16.1% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Biskra

$67 12.4% 38.8% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Biskra

$58 10.8% 38.3% $36

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Biskra

$69 12.7% 13% $10

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Biskra

$12 2.2% 80.9% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Biskra

$31 5.8% 39.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $141 in Biskra. 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 161% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $28.00 in Biskra. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $200 in Biskra – so Biskra wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇩🇿 Biskra

🕒 Local time

22:52 10:52 PM

16:52 4:52 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

205,608

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.64 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 134 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.64 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Biskra

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 Biskra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 74%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $809 in Biskra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Biskra, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $938 in Chiang Mai and $540 in Biskra. That's a gap of about 74%.

Public transport costs about 618% less in Biskra. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Biskra, where all-in costs run around $540, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Biskra it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Biskra – 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 Biskra. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.