Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Hamra

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $982 in Hamra, rent and utilities included – about $550 less a year. The total is higher in Hamra despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Hamra
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Hamra Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Hamra

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$982

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $982 in Hamra, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Hamra $982

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,583 in Hamra, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Hamra $1,583

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,183 in Hamra, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Hamra $2,183

Chiang Mai is about 5% cheaper than Hamra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Hamra are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Hamra 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$11.96 LBP 1.1M

-81.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$67.7 LBP 6.1M

-71.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.85 LBP 882.0K

-43.65%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$4.62 LBP 413.2K

-63.85%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.39 LBP 213.7K

-73.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.89 LBP 80.0K

-65.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$4.94 LBP 441.9K

-52.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.76 LBP 426.3K

-23.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.02 LBP 180.4K

-3.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.84 LBP 75.5K

71.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$2.18 LBP 194.8K

-38.99%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.60 LBP 322.2K

-36.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$11.26 LBP 1.0M

46.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$10.44 LBP 934.4K

-73.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.67 LBP 1.3M

-36.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.01 LBP 269.4K

-21.93%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.70 LBP 152.1K

-42.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.67 LBP 149.4K

-4.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.54 LBP 137.8K

-2.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.25 LBP 112.3K

2.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.56 LBP 139.6K

-29.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.17 LBP 104.5K

-39.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.73 LBP 64.9K

-32.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.91 LBP 260.7K

42.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$10.95 LBP 979.8K

60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.33 LBP 119.3K

21.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.50 LBP 223.6K

11.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$5.12 LBP 458.1K

-77.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$2.28 LBP 204.0K

-76.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$22.80 LBP 2.0M

-89.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.09 LBP 97.9K

33.03%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$53.1K LBP 4.7B

-60.31%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$32.4K LBP 2.9B

-16.93%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$211 LBP 18.9M

-70.58%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$23.94 LBP 2.1M

-49.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$38.49 LBP 3.4M

-47.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.03 LBP 897.7K

-35.29%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$689 LBP 61.7M

6.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$10.7K LBP 959.7M

37.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$67.2 LBP 6.0M

-20.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$49.06 LBP 4.4M

-49.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$137 LBP 12.3M

-33.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$122 LBP 10.9M

-41.10%

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

-49.36%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Hamra: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Hamra

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Hamra

$275 28% 17.4% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Hamra

$169 17.2% 55.5% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Hamra

$274 27.9% 190% $179

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Hamra

$228 23.2% 194% $150

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Hamra

$17 * 1.7% 73.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Hamra

$20 * 2% 60.1% $30

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 $68 in Hamra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $275 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇧 Hamra

🕒 Local time

00:27 12:27 AM

19:27 7:27 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,251,739

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD

100,000 LBP = 1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,933 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Hamra 6,450 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Hamra

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 Hamra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamra costs about 5% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,474 in Hamra. 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 $68 in Hamra. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Hamra, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $982 in Hamra. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $982 in Hamra. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.