Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bogra

For one person, living is cheaper in Bogra: $298 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Bogra
Learn more

Bogra Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Bogra

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$298

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $938 in Chiang Mai versus $298 in Bogra.

Chiang Mai $938
Bogra $298

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,426 in Chiang Mai versus $482 in Bogra.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Bogra $482

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,914 in Chiang Mai versus $666 in Bogra.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Bogra $666

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 215% more expensive than in Bogra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 30% lower, Bogra 78% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$1.45 ৳179

55.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$4.05 ৳500

373.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$4.70 ৳581

18.94%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ৳475

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 ৳514

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.32 ৳163

30.30%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.28 ৳34.86

128.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.16 ৳20.28

106.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$0.56 ৳69.4

266.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.51 ৳63.5

174.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$0.60 ৳74.1

113.33%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.07 ৳132

110.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$7.89 ৳974

114.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$2.37 ৳293

15.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$6.16 ৳761

51.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$2.53 ৳313

-5.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$0.82 ৳102

23.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$2.32 ৳287

-30.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$0.53 ৳65.5

186.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.24 ৳29.47

433.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.45 ৳55.6

146.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.09 ৳10.84

700.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.23 ৳28.24

126.09%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.82 ৳1,214

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.12 ৳509

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.47 ৳800

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$2.58 ৳319

67.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.51 ৳62.9

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.23 ৳153

-4.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.42 ৳52.0

35.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$1.19 ৳147

99.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.09 ৳134

33.03%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$29.3K ৳3.6M

-30.09%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$28.7K ৳3.5M

-7.52%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$25.94 ৳3,205

140.29%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$4.23 ৳523

190.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$10.46 ৳1,292

90.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$12.41 ৳1,533

205.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$2.47 ৳305

171.66%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$27.05 ৳3,342

2846.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$487 ৳60.2K

2943.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$16.98 ৳2,098

213.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$20.70 ৳2,558

21.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$50.5 ৳6,234

81.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$36.79 ৳4,546

99.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$75.6 ৳9,335

514.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$29.29 ৳3,619

940.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$133 ৳16.5K

586.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$84.0 ৳10.4K

557.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$522 ৳64.5K

266.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$302 ৳37.3K

376.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$226 ৳27.9K

163.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.48

-46.85%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bogra: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Bogra

$29 9.8% 90.4% $275

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Bogra

$106 35.5% 55.6% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Bogra

$56 18.9% 48.7% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Bogra

$41 13.6% 57% $54

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Bogra

$43 14.5% 45.2% $36

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Bogra

$5.4 * 1.8% 91.2% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Bogra

$17 5.8% 66.2% $34

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 $464 in Chiang Mai and $75.6 in Bogra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 164% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $19.00 in Chiang Mai vs $4.00 in Bogra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $106 per month, with Bogra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇩 Bogra

🕒 Local time

00:55 12:55 AM

23:55 11:55 PM

1 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

400,983

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, 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).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Bogra 1,200 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bogra

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 Bogra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bogra is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 215% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 164% 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: $464 in Chiang Mai versus $75.6 in Bogra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 125% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $938 per month in Chiang Mai versus $298 in Bogra – a 215% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $298 in Bogra versus $938 in Chiang Mai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bogra but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Bogra the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bogra is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Chiang Mai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Bogra are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bogra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 215% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.