Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Le Bardo

For one person, living is cheaper in Le Bardo: $699 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Le Bardo
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Le Bardo Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Le Bardo

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$699

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Le Bardo

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $699 in Le Bardo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Le Bardo $699

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,095 in Le Bardo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Le Bardo $1,095

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,491 in Le Bardo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Le Bardo $1,491

Chiang Mai costs about 34% more than Le Bardo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Le Bardo are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Le Bardo 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$4.59 TND 13.81

-51.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$21.44 TND 64.4

-11.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.80 TND 14.41

15.63%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.33 TND 3.99

25.56%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.60 TND 1.80

6.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.26 TND 0.78

19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.66 TND 4.99

42.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.41 TND 7.23

51.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.48 TND 1.43

306.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.21 TND 0.62

585.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.65 TND 4.96

-19.39%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.48 TND 4.46

54.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$9.93 TND 29.84

65.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$6.07 TND 18.24

-54.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.99 TND 45.03

-37.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.68 TND 5.04

39.88%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$4.44 TND 13.35

-78.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.21 TND 3.64

32.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.87 TND 2.62

72.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.96 TND 2.88

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.82 TND 2.46

34.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.49 TND 1.48

44.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.33 TND 0.99

48.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.60 TND 10.80

15.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$5.02 TND 15.07

249.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.25 TND 3.75

28.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.32 TND 3.95

110.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.35 TND 1.06

148.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$9.93 TND 29.83

444.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.31 TND 0.94

274.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.29 TND 0.86

82.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$1.80 TND 5.40

34.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.86 TND 2.60

68.60%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$37.5K TND 112.7K

-43.85%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$36.9K TND 111.0K

-27.06%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$61.7 TND 185

0.71%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.53 TND 31.63

15.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$21.25 TND 63.8

-5.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$41.92 TND 126

-11.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$12.27 TND 36.86

-69.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.33 TND 16.01

21.76%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$66.6 TND 200

1005.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$2,831 TND 8,507

421.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$44.22 TND 133

20.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$37.59 TND 113

-34.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$71.9 TND 216

27.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$84.4 TND 253

-14.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$250 TND 750

93.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$151 TND 454

104.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$390 TND 1,170

158.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$256 TND 769

147.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$965 TND 2,898

144.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$627 TND 1,884

153.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$378 TND 1,137

55.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.65

-47.70%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Le Bardo: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Le Bardo

$151 21.6% 51.1% $158

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Le Bardo

$198 28.3% 15.5% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Le Bardo

$107 15.3% 1.4% $1.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Le Bardo

$94 13.4% 1% $1

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Le Bardo

$84 12% 7.8% $6.1

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Le Bardo

$13 1.9% 78.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Le Bardo

$53 7.5% 4.6% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $250 in Le Bardo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 56% 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 $21 in Le Bardo. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $198 in Le Bardo – so Le Bardo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇳 Le Bardo

🕒 Local time

10:48 10:48 AM

04:48 4:48 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

71,961

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 TND = 0.333 USD

1 TND = 0.298 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3 TND (1 TND = 0.333 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Le Bardo 8,670 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Le Bardo

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 Le Bardo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 34% more than Le Bardo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,049 in Le Bardo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Le Bardo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $250 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $67 in Le Bardo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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

Families tend to lean toward Le Bardo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Le Bardo. 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.