Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Shiraz

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiraz: $542 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Shiraz
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Shiraz Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Shiraz

🇮🇷 Iran

$542

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $542 in Shiraz, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Shiraz $542

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $813 in Shiraz, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Shiraz $813

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,084 in Shiraz, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Shiraz $1,084

Chiang Mai costs about 73% more than Shiraz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Shiraz are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Shiraz 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$4.63 $4.63

-51.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$13.20 $13.20

43.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.07 $4.07

36.36%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 $0.98

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 $1.80

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.21 $1.21

38.02%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.62 $0.62

3.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.70 $0.70

178.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.41 $0.41

251.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.88 $1.88

-29.26%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.18 $1.18

93.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$2.27 $2.27

624.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.98 $2.98

-6.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.58 $9.58

-2.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.11 $1.11

111.71%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.55 $1.55

-37.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$0.89 $0.89

79.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.60 $0.60

150.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.57 $0.57

124.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.52 $0.52

111.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.47 $0.47

51.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.21 $0.21

133.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.89 $0.89

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 $0.60

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 $1.73

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.04 $3.04

36.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.11 $0.11

690.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$2.95 $2.95

1733.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$0.41 $0.41

182.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.20 $0.20

165.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$3.43 $3.43

-29.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$64.9K $64.9K

-67.55%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$53.3K $53.3K

-49.47%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$23.44 $23.44

165.23%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$1.98 $1.98

514.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$16.86 $16.86

19.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$18.75 $18.75

98.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$13.68 $13.68

-72.44%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.02 $2.02

221.29%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$102 $102

620.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$2,401 $2,401

515.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$22.72 $22.72

134.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$18.07 $18.07

36.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$93.8 $93.8

-2.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$55.6 $55.6

29.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$293 $293

64.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$218 $218

41.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$526 $526

91.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$325 $325

94.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$1,127 $1,127

109.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$517 $517

207.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$243 $243

143.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

24.3

-77.08%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shiraz: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Shiraz

$218 40.2% 29.5% $91

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Shiraz

$102 18.9% 56.3% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Shiraz

$86 15.8% 21.3% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Shiraz

$42 7.8% 55.2% $52

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Shiraz

$66 * 12.2% 14.6% $11

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Shiraz

$4.8 0.9% 92.2% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Shiraz

$23 4.2% 54.7% $27

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 $293 in Shiraz. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $13 in Shiraz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $102 – making Shiraz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇷 Shiraz

🕒 Local time

14:32 2:32 PM

11:02 11:02 AM

3 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,565,572

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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).

USD exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Shiraz 4,830 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Shiraz

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 Shiraz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 73% more than Shiraz, 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 $813 in Shiraz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shiraz, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $293 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $102 in Shiraz. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 129% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Shiraz – 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 Shiraz. 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.