Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cox's Bazar

For one person, living is cheaper in Cox’s Bazar: $348 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Cox's Bazar
Learn more

Cox's Bazar Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Cox's Bazar

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$348

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Cox's Bazar

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $348 in Cox’s Bazar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Cox's Bazar $348

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $558 in Cox’s Bazar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Cox's Bazar $558

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $769 in Cox’s Bazar, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Cox's Bazar $769

Chiang Mai costs about 169% more than Cox’s Bazar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Cox’s Bazar are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Cox’s Bazar 74% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$1.56 ৳194

43.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$12.21 ৳1,514

55.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$2.95 ৳366

88.14%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ৳321

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 ৳309

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.92 ৳238

-13.02%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.36 ৳44.61

77.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.10 ৳12.91

210.00%

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

$0.80 ৳99.3

143.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.50 ৳62.2

188.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$0.66 ৳81.9

101.52%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.04 ৳129

119.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$7.20 ৳893

128.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.07 ৳256

34.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.29 ৳904

27.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.35 ৳291

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.88 ৳109

10.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.60 ৳199

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.52 ৳64.2

188.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.46 ৳57.3

178.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.58 ৳71.4

89.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.47 ৳58.6

51.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.30 ৳36.76

63.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$7.68 ৳953

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ৳317

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 ৳565

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.91 ৳237

116.75%

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

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.29 ৳36.35

300.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.35 ৳43.24

51.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$4.16 ৳516

-41.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.14 ৳142

27.19%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$31.7K ৳3.9M

-33.49%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$34.0K ৳4.2M

-20.69%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$12.20 ৳1,513

409.59%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$2.63 ৳327

362.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$11.12 ৳1,379

80.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$16.05 ৳1,991

132.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$4.07 ৳504

-7.37%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.36 ৳293

175.00%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$24.65 ৳3,058

2886.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$1,454 ৳180.3K

915.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$22.55 ৳2,797

136.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$18.21 ৳2,258

35.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$32.91 ৳4,082

177.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$34.87 ৳4,325

106.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$164 ৳20.4K

193.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$96.1 ৳11.9K

221.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$300 ৳37.2K

235.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$164 ৳20.3K

286.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$348 ৳43.1K

580.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$261 ৳32.4K

508.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$286 ৳35.4K

106.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.5

-51.57%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cox's Bazar: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Cox's Bazar

$96 27.6% 68.9% $213

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Cox's Bazar

$108 31% 54.1% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Cox's Bazar

$49 14.1% 55% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Cox's Bazar

$26 7.5% 72.5% $69

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Cox's Bazar

$46 13.3% 40.4% $31

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Cox's Bazar

$2 * 0.6% 96.7% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Cox's Bazar

$21 6% 58.7% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $164 in Cox’s Bazar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 2.1 times higher, 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 $12 in Cox’s Bazar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $108 – making Cox’s Bazar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇩 Cox's Bazar

🕒 Local time

08:26 8:26 AM

07:26 7:26 AM

1 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

223,522

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.06 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.24 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.06 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.24 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Cox's Bazar 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Cox's Bazar

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 Cox's Bazar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 169% more than Cox’s Bazar, 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 $521 in Cox’s Bazar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cox’s Bazar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $164 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $12 in Cox’s Bazar. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 118% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $348 in Cox’s Bazar, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Cox’s Bazar – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Cox’s Bazar. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.