Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Lankaran

For one person, living is cheaper in Lankaran: $497 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Lankaran
Learn more

Lankaran Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Lankaran

🇦🇿 Azerbaijan

$497

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $497 in Lankaran, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Lankaran $497

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $837 in Lankaran, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Lankaran $837

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,176 in Lankaran, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Lankaran $1,176

Chiang Mai costs about 88% more than Lankaran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Lankaran are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Lankaran 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$8.02 ₼13.64

-72.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$29.80 ₼50.6

-36.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.00 ₼10.19

-7.50%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.70 ₼4.60

-38.15%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.90 ₼1.53

-28.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.61 ₼1.03

-49.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.16 ₼1.98

103.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$2.38 ₼4.04

53.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.58 ₼0.98

236.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.25 ₼0.43

476.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.96 ₼3.33

-32.14%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.12 ₼1.90

103.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$1.71 ₼2.91

861.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.92 ₼4.97

-4.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.20 ₼13.93

13.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$0.57 ₼0.96

312.28%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.21 ₼2.06

-19.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$0.70 ₼1.19

128.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.36 ₼0.62

316.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.30 ₼0.51

326.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.25 ₼0.43

340.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.13 ₼0.22

446.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.59 ₼1.00

-16.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.95 ₼5.02

40.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$3.63 ₼6.18

382.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$0.87 ₼1.48

85.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.88 ₼3.19

47.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.23 ₼0.39

278.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.19 ₼2.02

-2.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.28 ₼0.47

89.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$4.75 ₼8.07

-49.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.56 ₼0.96

158.93%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$12.0K ₼20.4K

75.78%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$14.2K ₼24.2K

89.29%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$33.57 ₼57.1

85.20%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$8.77 ₼14.90

38.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$14.96 ₼25.43

34.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$16.31 ₼27.71

128.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$5.75 ₼9.78

-34.43%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.73 ₼8.04

37.21%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$146 ₼248

403.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$16.2K ₼27.6K

-8.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$88.3 ₼150

-39.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$59.5 ₼101

-58.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$125 ₼213

-26.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$117 ₼199

-38.47%

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 ฿21.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$296 ₼503

99.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-44.30%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lankaran: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Lankaran

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Lankaran

$104 20.9% 55.6% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Lankaran

$175 35.3% 61.4% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Lankaran

$57 11.5% 39.3% $37

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Lankaran

$131 26.4% 69.2% $54

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Lankaran

$3.5 * 0.7% 94.3% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Lankaran

$26 5.2% 48.7% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 99% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $30 in Lankaran. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $104 in Lankaran – so Lankaran wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇦🇿 Lankaran

🕒 Local time

15:59 3:59 PM

12:59 12:59 PM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

51,600

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Azerbaijani Manat AZN ₼

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 AZN = 0.588 USD

1 AZN = 0.527 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AZN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Azerbaijani Manat exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.7 AZN (1 AZN = 0.588 USD). 1 EUR = 1.9 AZN (1 AZN = 0.527 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Lankaran 5,290 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Lankaran

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 Lankaran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 88% more than Lankaran, 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 $746 in Lankaran. 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 $30 in Lankaran. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 125% 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 $497 in Lankaran, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $497 in Lankaran 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.

If budget matters most, go with Lankaran. 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.