Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Monastir

For one person, living is cheaper in Monastir: $706 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 Monastir
Learn more

Monastir Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monastir

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$706

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $706 in Monastir, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Monastir $706

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,131 in Monastir, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Monastir $1,131

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,555 in Monastir, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Monastir $1,555

Chiang Mai costs about 32% more than Monastir, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Monastir are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Monastir 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$5.01 TND 15.04

-55.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$22.48 TND 67.6

-15.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.15 TND 18.46

-9.76%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.19 TND 3.58

40.34%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.74 TND 2.23

-13.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.36 TND 1.09

-13.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.63 TND 4.91

44.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.63 TND 4.90

124.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.44 TND 1.31

343.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.17 TND 0.51

747.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.68 TND 5.04

-20.83%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.58 TND 4.73

44.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$13.71 TND 41.18

19.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$6.15 TND 18.47

-54.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.60 TND 43.85

-36.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.01 TND 6.05

16.92%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$4.40 TND 13.21

-77.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.20 TND 3.59

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.80 TND 2.39

87.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.87 TND 2.62

47.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.72 TND 2.17

52.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.44 TND 1.33

61.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.33 TND 1.00

48.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.74 TND 11.24

10.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$5.70 TND 17.14

207.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.21 TND 3.64

33.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.32 TND 3.96

110.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.32 TND 0.95

171.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$11.01 TND 33.08

391.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.29 TND 0.87

300.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.29 TND 0.86

82.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$1.77 TND 5.32

36.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.83 TND 2.48

74.70%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$39.7K TND 119.3K

-46.95%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$35.9K TND 108.0K

-25.03%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$61.5 TND 185

1.02%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.56 TND 31.74

15.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$20.06 TND 60.3

0.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$23.67 TND 71.1

57.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.63 TND 19.92

-43.14%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.03 TND 18.12

7.63%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$94.4 TND 284

679.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$3,205 TND 9,630

360.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$46.92 TND 141

13.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$67.5 TND 203

-63.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$111 TND 334

-17.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$97.2 TND 292

-25.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$203 TND 609

137.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$121 TND 362

156.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$354 TND 1,064

184.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$233 TND 701

171.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,219 TND 3,661

93.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$619 TND 1,859

156.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$347 TND 1,041

70.14%

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 Monastir: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Monastir

$121 17.1% 61% $188

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Monastir

$210 29.7% 10.5% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Monastir

$145 20.6% 33.7% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Monastir

$92 13.1% 2.4% $2.3

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Monastir

$89 12.6% 14.3% $11

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Monastir

$14 2% 77.2% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Monastir

$36 5.1% 28.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $203 in Monastir. 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 70% 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 $22 in Monastir. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $210 in Monastir – so Monastir wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇳 Monastir

🕒 Local time

17:48 5:48 PM

11:48 11:48 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

104,535

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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 Monastir 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Monastir

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 Monastir: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 32% more than Monastir, 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 $1,059 in Monastir. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Monastir, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $203 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $94 in Monastir. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Monastir – 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 Monastir. 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.