Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Juniyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,317 in Juniyah, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Juniyah, Lebanon
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Juniyah
🇱🇧 Lebanon
$1,317
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,317 in Juniyah, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Juniyah $1,317

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,988 in Juniyah, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Juniyah $1,988

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,660 in Juniyah, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Juniyah $2,660

Chiang Mai is about 29% cheaper than Juniyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Juniyah are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Juniyah 3% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Juniyah
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.6
$11.97 LBP 1.1M
-81.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿641
$69.1 LBP 6.2M
-72.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿187
$10.14 LBP 907.6K
-45.27%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.5
$4.59 LBP 411.2K
-63.62%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.55
$2.38 LBP 212.8K
-73.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.31
$0.84 LBP 75.4K
-63.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.6
$5.10 LBP 456.4K
-53.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$4.88 LBP 437.2K
-25.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Juniyah
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.8
$2.01 LBP 180.1K
-2.99%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.48
$0.85 LBP 76.4K
69.41%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.04
$2.19 LBP 196.1K
-39.27%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.1
$3.63 LBP 325.2K
-37.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿555
$8.97 LBP 803.1K
83.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿93.9
$10.40 LBP 930.7K
-73.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$14.92 LBP 1.3M
-37.60%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.4
$3.03 LBP 271.0K
-22.44%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.80
$1.65 LBP 147.3K
-41.21%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$1.60 LBP 143.5K
-
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$1.54 LBP 138.0K
-2.60%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.12
$1.21 LBP 108.2K
5.79%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.19
$1.61 LBP 144.1K
-31.68%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.82
$1.18 LBP 105.6K
-39.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.37
$0.72 LBP 64.6K
-31.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$2.99 LBP 267.6K
38.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿591
$11.20 LBP 1.0M
56.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$1.27 LBP 113.3K
26.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$2.59 LBP 231.6K
7.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Juniyah
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.31
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,826
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.06
$5.03 LBP 450.2K
-76.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.80
$2.30 LBP 205.5K
-76.96%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.8
$22.77 LBP 2.0M
-89.37%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.90
$1.09 LBP 97.2K
33.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿710.7K
$53.3K LBP 4.8B
-60.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿909.3K
$32.4K LBP 2.9B
-16.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Juniyah
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,098
$216 LBP 19.3M
-71.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿411
$23.82 LBP 2.1M
-48.91%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿679
$37.79 LBP 3.4M
-46.76%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Juniyah
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,259
$29.62 LBP 2.7M
25.96%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
$9.95 LBP 890.4K
-62.11%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$9.97 LBP 892.3K
-34.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Juniyah
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.8K
$677 LBP 60.6M
8.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.3K
$10.8K LBP 965.5M
36.87%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Juniyah
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,801
$67.3 LBP 6.0M
-20.69%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿831
$49.06 LBP 4.4M
-49.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,087
$140 LBP 12.6M
-34.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,428
$119 LBP 10.7M
-39.67%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Juniyah
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$378 LBP 33.9M
27.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$306 LBP 27.4M
1.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿33.9K
$451 LBP 40.4M
122.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$407 LBP 36.5M
55.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.8K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.6K
$806 LBP 72.2M
97.10%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Juniyah
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
11
-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 Juniyah: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Juniyah
$306 1% $3.2
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Juniyah
$269 14.7% $35
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Juniyah
$169 55.7% $61
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Juniyah
$278 194% $183
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Juniyah
$229 196% $152
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Juniyah
$17 * 73.1% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Juniyah
$50 1.4% $0.7

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 $378 in Juniyah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $69 in Juniyah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $269 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇱🇧 Juniyah
🕒 Local time
23:49 11:49 PM
18:49 6:49 PM
5 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
96,315
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,877 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Juniyah 6,430 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Juniyah

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 Juniyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Juniyah?
Juniyah costs about 41% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Juniyah?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,976 in Juniyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Juniyah?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Juniyah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $378 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do dining costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Juniyah?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $69 in Juniyah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Juniyah?
Groceries cost about 15% more in Juniyah, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Chiang Mai or in Juniyah?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,317 in Juniyah. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Chiang Mai or Juniyah?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,317 in Juniyah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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