Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Metn

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,040 in Metn, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Metn despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Metn
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Metn Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Metn

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,040

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,040 in Metn, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Metn $1,040

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,673 in Metn, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Metn $1,673

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,306 in Metn, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Metn $2,306

Chiang Mai is about 10% cheaper than Metn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Metn are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Metn 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$12.14 LBP 1.1M

-81.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$68.7 LBP 6.1M

-72.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$9.95 LBP 890.3K

-44.22%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$4.58 LBP 409.5K

-63.54%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$2.35 LBP 210.5K

-72.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.84 LBP 75.5K

-63.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$5.07 LBP 453.8K

-53.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.88 LBP 436.5K

-25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.98 LBP 177.5K

-1.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.89 LBP 80.0K

61.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.23 LBP 199.2K

-40.36%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.54 LBP 316.8K

-35.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$11.05 LBP 989.1K

48.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$10.43 LBP 933.4K

-73.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.60 LBP 1.3M

-36.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.03 LBP 271.0K

-22.44%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.71 LBP 152.7K

-43.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.64 LBP 146.6K

-2.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.53 LBP 136.6K

-1.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.26 LBP 112.7K

1.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.59 LBP 142.5K

-30.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.17 LBP 104.9K

-39.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.68 LBP 61.1K

-27.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.98 LBP 267.1K

38.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$10.92 LBP 977.2K

60.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.33 LBP 118.8K

21.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.57 LBP 229.8K

8.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$4.92 LBP 440.1K

-76.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$2.23 LBP 200.0K

-76.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$22.59 LBP 2.0M

-89.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.05 LBP 94.3K

38.10%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$53.7K LBP 4.8B

-60.79%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$32.2K LBP 2.9B

-16.41%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$210 LBP 18.8M

-70.34%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$23.31 LBP 2.1M

-47.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$37.35 LBP 3.3M

-46.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$60.0 LBP 5.4M

-37.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$9.99 LBP 893.7K

-35.04%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$498 LBP 44.6M

47.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$10.6K LBP 945.6M

39.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$67.8 LBP 6.1M

-21.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$50.1 LBP 4.5M

-50.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$137 LBP 12.3M

-33.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$122 LBP 10.9M

-40.93%

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 ฿34.0K

$504 LBP 45.1M

99.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

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 Metn: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Metn

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Metn

$274 26.3% 16.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Metn

$170 16.3% 56.2% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Metn

$270 26% 186% $176

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Metn

$230 22.1% 196% $152

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Metn

$16 * 1.6% 73.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Metn

$80 7.7% 59% $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 Metn. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $274 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇧 Metn

🕒 Local time

01:00 1:00 AM

20:00 8:00 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

5,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,632 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Metn 6,430 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Metn

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 Metn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Metn costs about 11% 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 $1,560 in Metn. 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 Metn. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Metn, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,040 in Metn. 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 $1,040 in Metn. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.