Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Dubasari

For one person, living is cheaper in Dubasari: $644 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Dubasari
Learn more

Dubasari Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Dubasari

🇲🇩 Moldova

$644

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $644 in Dubasari, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Dubasari $644

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $953 in Dubasari, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Dubasari $953

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,263 in Dubasari, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Dubasari $1,263

Chiang Mai costs about 45% more than Dubasari, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Dubasari are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Dubasari 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$8.35 MDL 149

-73.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$28.85 MDL 515

-34.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$10.54 MDL 188

-47.34%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.71 MDL 30.61

-2.34%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.06 MDL 18.96

-39.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.65 MDL 11.68

-52.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.93 MDL 34.43

22.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.19 MDL 39.05

67.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.21 MDL 21.70

61.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.45 MDL 8.03

220.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.53 MDL 27.25

-13.07%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.15 MDL 38.37

6.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$6.77 MDL 121

142.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$4.54 MDL 81.1

-38.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$6.24 MDL 111

49.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$0.98 MDL 17.55

139.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$2.24 MDL 40.05

-56.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.88 MDL 33.60

-14.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.35 MDL 41.98

-36.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.77 MDL 13.72

66.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.52 MDL 9.31

111.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.46 MDL 8.24

54.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.54 MDL 9.59

-9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.36 MDL 59.9

23.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$4.38 MDL 78.3

300.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.38 MDL 24.63

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.92 MDL 34.28

44.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$2.71 MDL 48.45

-57.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.26 MDL 4.67

103.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$5.46 MDL 97.5

-55.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.55 MDL 27.59

-6.45%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$33.4K MDL 597.3K

-37.03%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$24.3K MDL 433.5K

11.00%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$225 MDL 4,023

-72.40%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$7.76 MDL 139

56.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$11.09 MDL 198

81.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$11.13 MDL 199

235.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.31 MDL 131

-11.22%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$113 MDL 2,016

552.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$5,238 MDL 93.5K

181.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$44.36 MDL 792

20.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$56.6 MDL 1,011

61.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$50.3 MDL 898

43.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-30.37%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dubasari: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Dubasari

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Dubasari

$162 25.2% 30.9% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Dubasari

$68 * 10.6% 37.3% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Dubasari

$244 37.9% 158% $150

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Dubasari

$140 21.7% 80.3% $62

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Dubasari

$4 * 0.6% 93.4% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Dubasari

$26 4% 48.8% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $29 in Dubasari. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $162 in Dubasari – so Dubasari wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇩 Dubasari

🕒 Local time

06:55 6:55 AM

01:55 1:55 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

23,254

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MDL = 5.6 USD

100 MDL = 5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 17.86 MDL (100 MDL = 5.6 USD). 1 EUR = 20.02 MDL (100 MDL = 5 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Dubasari 6,980 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Dubasari

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 Dubasari: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 45% more than Dubasari, 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 $965 in Dubasari. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $29 in Dubasari. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $644 in Dubasari to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.