Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Suran

For one person, living is cheaper in Suran: $645 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Suran
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Suran Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Suran

🇸🇾 Syria

$645

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $645 in Suran, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Suran $645

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,022 in Suran, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Suran $1,022

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,398 in Suran, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Suran $1,398

Chiang Mai costs about 45% more than Suran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Suran are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Suran 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$10.16 SYP 1,234

-79.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$42.86 SYP 5,207

-56.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$6.82 SYP 829

-17.89%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$3.80 SYP 462

-56.32%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$2.31 SYP 281

-71.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.81 SYP 98.8

-62.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$1.89 SYP 229

22.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.98 SYP 484

-7.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$1.04 SYP 126

94.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$0.45 SYP 54.5

213.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$1.63 SYP 198

-14.72%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$1.58 SYP 192

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$4.02 SYP 489

310.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$5.81 SYP 706

-54.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$13.57 SYP 1,649

-33.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.02 SYP 124

135.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.43 SYP 174

-27.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.09 SYP 133

52.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.06 SYP 129

47.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$0.76 SYP 92.0

63.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$0.75 SYP 91.1

45.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$0.43 SYP 52.5

76.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.63 SYP 76.2

-19.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$2.68 SYP 326

53.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$5.02 SYP 610

257.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$1.10 SYP 134

47.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$2.90 SYP 353

-2.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$1.03 SYP 125

14.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$1.50 SYP 183

-88.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$7.66 SYP 931

-76.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$3.76 SYP 457

-60.90%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$14.8K SYP 1.8M

42.18%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$19.3K SYP 2.3M

37.40%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$142 SYP 17.2K

-55.82%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$9.47 SYP 1,151

22.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$45.97 SYP 5,585

-55.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$5.44 SYP 661

19.67%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$67.3 SYP 8,177

980.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$1,813 SYP 220.2K

814.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$28.11 SYP 3,416

90.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$39.25 SYP 4,769

-36.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$61.2 SYP 7,432

47.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$58.8 SYP 7,147

22.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

14.25

-60.91%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Suran: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Suran

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Suran

$167 25.9% 29.3% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Suran

$84 13.1% 22.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Suran

$197 30.5% 109% $103

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Suran

$177 27.5% 132% $101

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Suran

$8.5 * 1.3% 85.4% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Suran

$11 * 1.7% 78.6% $40

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 $43 in Suran. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $167 in Suran – so Suran wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇾 Suran

🕒 Local time

16:01 4:01 PM

12:01 12:01 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

30,716

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Suran 6,330 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Suran

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 Suran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 45% more than Suran, 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 $968 in Suran. 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 $43 in Suran. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $645 in Suran to $935 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.