Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Borujerd

For one person, living is cheaper in Borujerd: $517 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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 Borujerd
Learn more

Borujerd Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Borujerd

🇮🇷 Iran

$517

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $517 in Borujerd.

Chiang Mai $936
Borujerd $517

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $847 in Borujerd.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Borujerd $847

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $1,178 in Borujerd.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Borujerd $1,178

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 81% more expensive than in Borujerd, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Borujerd 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$2.62 $2.62

-14.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$18.16 $18.16

4.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$3.78 $3.78

46.83%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.60 $0.60

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 $0.97

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.18 $1.18

41.53%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.54 $0.54

18.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.15 $1.15

-73.04%

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

$0.77 $0.77

153.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.53 $0.53

171.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.04 $2.04

-34.80%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.11 $1.11

105.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$4.93 $4.93

233.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.18 $3.18

-12.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.69 $11.69

-20.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$0.94 $0.94

150.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.39 $1.39

-30.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.94 $0.94

70.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.61 $0.61

145.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.51 $0.51

150.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.45 $0.45

144.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.61 $0.61

16.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.28 $0.28

75.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.82 $0.82

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 $0.60

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.45 $2.45

68.98%

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

$9.03 $9.03

499.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.39 $0.39

197.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.33 $0.33

60.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$2.77 $2.77

-12.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.09 $0.09

1511.11%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$46.8K $46.8K

-54.99%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$44.8K $44.8K

-39.80%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$11.11 $11.11

459.59%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$1.36 $1.36

794.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$3.69 $3.69

445.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$17.35 $17.35

115.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$12.18 $12.18

-69.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.11 $2.11

207.58%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$123 $123

500.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$2,734 $2,734

440.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$24.22 $24.22

120.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$26.15 $26.15

-5.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$88.3 $88.3

3.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$82.0 $82.0

-12.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$249 $249

93.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$195 $195

58.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$786 $786

27.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$372 $372

70.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,137 $1,137

107.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$535 $535

196.89%

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 Borujerd: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Borujerd

$195 37.8% 36.7% $114

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Borujerd

$119 23.1% 49.1% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Borujerd

$99 19.2% 8.6% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Borujerd

$16 3.1% 82.9% $78

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Borujerd

$53 10.3% 31.5% $24

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Borujerd

$12 2.3% 81% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Borujerd

$22 4.2% 57.1% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $249 in Borujerd. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $18 in Borujerd for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $119 per month, with Borujerd cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇷 Borujerd

🕒 Local time

01:45 1:45 AM

22:15 10:15 PM

3 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

234,997

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Borujerd 5,220 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Borujerd

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 Borujerd: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Borujerd wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Borujerd the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $775 in Borujerd 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 $249 in Borujerd. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $936 per month in Chiang Mai versus $517 in Borujerd – a 81% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Borujerd runs roughly 83% less than in Chiang Mai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

At $517 in Borujerd versus $936 in Chiang Mai, a $800 budget is realistic in Borujerd but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Borujerd 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 Borujerd 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 Borujerd gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.