Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bordj Bou Arreridj

For one person, living is cheaper in Bordj Bou Arreridj: $468 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Bordj Bou Arreridj
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Bordj Bou Arreridj Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Bordj Bou Arreridj

🇩🇿 Algeria

$468

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Bordj Bou Arreridj

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 Bordj Bou Arreridj actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $468 in Bordj Bou Arreridj, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Bordj Bou Arreridj $468

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $734 in Bordj Bou Arreridj, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Bordj Bou Arreridj $734

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,000 in Bordj Bou Arreridj, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Bordj Bou Arreridj $1,000

Chiang Mai costs about 100% more than Bordj Bou Arreridj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Bordj Bou Arreridj are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bordj Bou Arreridj 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$2.21 DZD 297

1.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$7.31 DZD 985

159.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$3.68 DZD 495

50.82%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$0.41 DZD 55.1

307.32%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.55 DZD 73.8

16.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.29 DZD 39.52

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$0.72 DZD 97.4

227.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.26 DZD 304

61.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.83 DZD 112

134.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.07 DZD 9.98

1957.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$0.74 DZD 99.4

79.73%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.23 DZD 165

85.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$6.80 DZD 916

141.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.93 DZD 530

-29.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.27 DZD 1,922

-34.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.09 DZD 282

12.44%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$2.25 DZD 303

-56.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.06 DZD 143

50.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.95 DZD 128

57.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.61 DZD 82.2

109.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.45 DZD 60.8

144.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.76 DZD 102

-6.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.25 DZD 33.50

96.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.71 DZD 364

52.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$6.78 DZD 913

158.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.26 DZD 170

27.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.95 DZD 262

42.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.23 DZD 31.55

278.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$6.00 DZD 808

801.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.55 DZD 73.4

110.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.47 DZD 63.6

12.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$5.73 DZD 771

-57.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.33 DZD 44.01

339.39%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$35.7K DZD 4.8M

-40.97%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$33.7K DZD 4.5M

-19.96%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$44.51 DZD 5,994

39.68%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$7.55 DZD 1,017

61.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$12.37 DZD 1,666

62.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$13.40 DZD 1,804

178.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.50 DZD 606

44.22%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$60.3 DZD 8,120

1120.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$6,275 DZD 844.9K

135.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$32.24 DZD 4,341

65.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$34.17 DZD 4,601

-27.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$34.30 DZD 4,619

166.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$53.9 DZD 7,256

33.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$146 DZD 19.6K

231.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$91.1 DZD 12.3K

239.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$267 DZD 35.9K

276.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$193 DZD 26.0K

228.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$963 DZD 129.6K

145.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,058 DZD 142.5K

50.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$337 DZD 45.4K

74.93%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Bordj Bou Arreridj: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Bordj Bou Arreridj

$91 19.5% 70.5% $218

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Bordj Bou Arreridj

$165 35.4% 29.4% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Bordj Bou Arreridj

$70 14.9% 36% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bordj Bou Arreridj

$64 13.8% 31.8% $30

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Bordj Bou Arreridj

$45 9.6% 41.9% $32

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Bordj Bou Arreridj

$9.9 2.1% 83.9% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Bordj Bou Arreridj

$22 4.8% 55.4% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $146 in Bordj Bou Arreridj. 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 75% 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 in Chiang Mai versus $7 in Bordj Bou Arreridj. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $165 – making Bordj Bou Arreridj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇩🇿 Bordj Bou Arreridj

🕒 Local time

20:39 8:39 PM

14:39 2:39 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

168,346

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.43 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.67 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.43 USD). 1 EUR = 150 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.67 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Bordj Bou Arreridj 9,160 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bordj Bou Arreridj

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 Bordj Bou Arreridj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 100% more than Bordj Bou Arreridj, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $702 in Bordj Bou Arreridj. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bordj Bou Arreridj, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $146 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $7 in Bordj Bou Arreridj. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $468 in Bordj Bou Arreridj. That’s a gap of about 100%.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Bordj Bou Arreridj, where all-in costs run around $468, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Bordj Bou Arreridj it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bordj Bou Arreridj – 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 Bordj Bou Arreridj. 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.