Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sidon

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $983 in Sidon, rent and utilities included – about $560 less a year. The total is higher in Sidon despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Sidon
Learn more

Sidon Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Sidon

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$983

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $983 in Sidon, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Sidon $983

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,586 in Sidon, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Sidon $1,586

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,189 in Sidon, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Sidon $2,189

Chiang Mai is about 5% cheaper than Sidon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Sidon are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Sidon 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$12.02 LBP 1.1M

-81.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$68.6 LBP 6.1M

-72.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$10.19 LBP 911.8K

-45.53%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$4.59 LBP 410.8K

-63.62%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.36 LBP 210.9K

-72.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.88 LBP 79.1K

-64.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$4.89 LBP 437.7K

-51.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.66 LBP 417.4K

-21.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.92 LBP 171.6K

1.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.90 LBP 80.3K

60.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$2.20 LBP 196.7K

-39.55%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.65 LBP 326.7K

-37.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$11.24 LBP 1.0M

46.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$10.39 LBP 930.2K

-73.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.76 LBP 1.3M

-36.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.02 LBP 270.0K

-22.19%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.72 LBP 153.7K

-43.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.64 LBP 146.5K

-2.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.46 LBP 130.5K

2.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.21 LBP 107.9K

5.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.62 LBP 144.5K

-32.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.22 LBP 109.6K

-41.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.73 LBP 65.7K

-32.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.08 LBP 275.8K

34.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$11.09 LBP 992.6K

57.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.31 LBP 117.3K

22.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.54 LBP 227.5K

9.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$4.88 LBP 436.8K

-76.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$2.27 LBP 203.0K

-76.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$22.74 LBP 2.0M

-89.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.08 LBP 96.7K

34.26%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$53.2K LBP 4.8B

-60.42%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$32.9K LBP 2.9B

-18.01%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$211 LBP 18.9M

-70.60%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$23.59 LBP 2.1M

-48.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$38.71 LBP 3.5M

-48.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$9.84 LBP 880.8K

-34.04%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$693 LBP 62.0M

6.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$10.5K LBP 941.5M

40.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$68.0 LBP 6.1M

-21.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$50.1 LBP 4.5M

-50.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$141 LBP 12.6M

-35.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$118 LBP 10.6M

-39.20%

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 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

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

-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 Sidon: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Sidon

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Sidon

$275 28% 17.4% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Sidon

$170 17.3% 56.4% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Sidon

$274 27.8% 190% $179

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Sidon

$229 23.3% 195% $151

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sidon

$16 * 1.7% 73.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Sidon

$20 * 2% 60.9% $31

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 Sidon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $275 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇧 Sidon

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

02:56 2:56 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

163,554

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,933 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Sidon 6,460 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sidon

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 Sidon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sidon costs about 5% 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 $1,475 in Sidon. 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 Sidon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Sidon, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $983 in Sidon. 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 $983 in Sidon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.