Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Hermel

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $983 in Hermel, rent and utilities included – about $560 less a year. The total is higher in Hermel 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 Hermel
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Hermel Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Hermel

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$983

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $983 in Hermel, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Hermel $983

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,589 in Hermel, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Hermel $1,589

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,195 in Hermel, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Hermel $2,195

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$12.03 LBP 1.1M

-81.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$69.3 LBP 6.2M

-72.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$10.05 LBP 899.6K

-44.78%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$4.57 LBP 408.8K

-63.46%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.36 LBP 211.2K

-72.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.84 LBP 74.9K

-63.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$5.10 LBP 456.1K

-53.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.80 LBP 429.8K

-23.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.94 LBP 173.7K

0.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.92 LBP 82.1K

56.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$2.25 LBP 200.9K

-40.89%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.47 LBP 310.7K

-34.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$11.15 LBP 998.2K

47.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$10.57 LBP 946.1K

-73.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.76 LBP 1.3M

-36.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.15 LBP 281.9K

-25.40%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.70 LBP 152.4K

-42.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.66 LBP 148.7K

-3.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.48 LBP 132.4K

1.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.22 LBP 108.8K

4.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.59 LBP 142.2K

-30.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.17 LBP 104.7K

-39.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.72 LBP 64.4K

-31.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.08 LBP 275.8K

34.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$10.90 LBP 975.3K

60.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.28 LBP 114.9K

25.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.57 LBP 230.3K

8.17%

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

$4.88 LBP 436.7K

-76.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$2.27 LBP 203.3K

-76.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$22.45 LBP 2.0M

-89.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.04 LBP 93.5K

39.42%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$52.8K LBP 4.7B

-60.09%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$32.3K LBP 2.9B

-16.66%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$210 LBP 18.8M

-70.35%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$23.23 LBP 2.1M

-47.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$38.41 LBP 3.4M

-47.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$9.98 LBP 893.4K

-34.97%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$670 LBP 59.9M

9.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$10.5K LBP 943.4M

40.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$67.6 LBP 6.1M

-21.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$50.1 LBP 4.5M

-50.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$140 LBP 12.5M

-34.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$122 LBP 10.9M

-40.90%

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 Hermel: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Hermel

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Hermel

$276 28% 17.6% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Hermel

$171 17.4% 57.3% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Hermel

$271 27.6% 187% $177

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Hermel

$229 23.3% 195% $151

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Hermel

$16 * 1.7% 73.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Hermel

$20 * 2% 60.3% $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 $69 in Hermel. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $276 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇧 Hermel

🕒 Local time

06:12 6:12 AM

01:12 1:12 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

22,250

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Hermel 6,360 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Hermel

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 Hermel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hermel 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 Hermel. 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 $69 in Hermel. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Hermel, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $983 in Hermel. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $983 in Hermel. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.