Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Narayanganj

For one person, living is cheaper in Narayanganj: $266 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
13

Cost of Living Index in Narayanganj
Learn more

Narayanganj Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Narayanganj

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$266

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $266 in Narayanganj, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Narayanganj $266

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $438 in Narayanganj, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Narayanganj $438

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $611 in Narayanganj, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Narayanganj $611

Chiang Mai costs about 252% more than Narayanganj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Narayanganj are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Narayanganj 80% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$1.62 ৳201

38.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$9.45 ৳1,171

101.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$5.26 ৳652

5.51%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 ৳323

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 ৳505

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.14 ৳141

46.49%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.23 ৳28.34

178.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.11 ৳13.92

181.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.69 ৳86.0

182.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.35 ৳43.17

311.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$0.53 ৳66.2

150.94%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.11 ৳137

105.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$7.53 ৳933

118.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.10 ৳260

32.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$5.62 ৳697

65.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.26 ৳280

3.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$0.84 ৳104

15.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.03 ৳252

-21.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.81 ৳101

85.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.19 ৳24.00

573.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.38 ৳47.67

189.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.46 ৳57.5

54.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.26 ৳31.99

88.46%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.15 ৳515

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 ৳105

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 ৳177

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.02 ৳375

37.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

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

$0.79 ৳98.1

46.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.55 ৳67.7

-3.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$3.98 ৳493

-39.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.15 ৳143

26.09%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$32.2K ৳4.0M

-34.68%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$43.6K ৳5.4M

-38.23%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$30.23 ৳3,746

105.66%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$3.99 ৳494

205.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$5.79 ৳717

247.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$15.97 ৳1,979

133.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.89 ৳358

124.57%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$35.52 ৳4,402

1972.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$1,431 ৳177.3K

931.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$8.01 ৳993

566.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$6.28 ৳778

292.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$28.77 ৳3,565

217.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$24.69 ৳3,060

191.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$40.04 ৳4,962

1104.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$24.24 ৳3,004

1174.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$122 ৳15.1K

724.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$65.3 ৳8,093

869.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,288 ৳159.6K

83.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.5

-51.57%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Narayanganj: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Narayanganj

$24 9.1% 92.2% $285

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Narayanganj

$102 38.3% 56.6% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Narayanganj

$30 11.5% 71.9% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Narayanganj

$40 15.1% 57.7% $54

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Narayanganj

$44 16.5% 43.5% $34

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Narayanganj

$3.5 * 1.3% 94.3% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Narayanganj

$22 8.2% 56.7% $29

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 $40 in Narayanganj. 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 $9 in Narayanganj. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $102 – making Narayanganj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇩 Narayanganj

🕒 Local time

09:51 9:51 AM

08:51 8:51 AM

1 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

286,330

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.07 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.23 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, 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).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.07 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.23 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Narayanganj 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Narayanganj

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 Narayanganj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 252% more than Narayanganj, 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 $398 in Narayanganj. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Narayanganj, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $40 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $9 in Narayanganj. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 130% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Narayanganj, where all-in costs run around $266, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Narayanganj it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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