Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sylhet

For one person, living is cheaper in Sylhet: $362 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 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
17

Cost of Living Index in Sylhet
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Sylhet Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Sylhet

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$362

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $362 in Sylhet, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Sylhet $362

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $612 in Sylhet, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Sylhet $612

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $861 in Sylhet, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Sylhet $861

Chiang Mai costs about 159% more than Sylhet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Sylhet are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Sylhet 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.37 ৳295

-5.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$11.13 ৳1,386

70.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.96 ৳494

40.15%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.82 ৳600

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 ৳495

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.08 ৳259

-19.71%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.33 ৳40.53

93.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.16 ৳20.02

93.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.84 ৳104

132.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.56 ৳69.6

157.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$0.65 ৳80.8

104.62%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.21 ৳150

88.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$7.45 ৳927

120.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.17 ৳395

-12.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$6.64 ৳827

40.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.67 ৳332

-11.99%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$0.92 ৳115

5.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.42 ৳301

-33.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.60 ৳74.6

150.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.23 ৳28.60

456.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.52 ৳64.5

111.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.33 ৳41.17

115.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.27 ৳33.17

81.48%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.90 ৳361

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 ৳246

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 ৳484

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.81 ৳350

47.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.71 ৳88.3

22.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$24.00 ৳2,988

125.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$1.20 ৳149

-3.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.16 ৳19.94

231.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$1.11 ৳138

118.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.04 ৳129

39.42%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$29.5K ৳3.7M

-28.56%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$33.0K ৳4.1M

-18.46%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$25.16 ৳3,134

147.10%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$4.33 ৳539

181.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$10.91 ৳1,359

84.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$8.90 ৳1,109

319.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$4.03 ৳501

-6.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.95 ৳492

64.30%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$28.58 ৳3,559

2475.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$961 ৳119.6K

1436.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$15.99 ৳1,992

233.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$15.93 ৳1,984

54.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$36.96 ৳4,603

147.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$29.67 ৳3,695

142.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$125 ৳15.5K

286.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$56.4 ৳7,028

447.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$175 ৳21.8K

475.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$161 ৳20.0K

294.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$684 ৳85.2K

245.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$347 ৳43.2K

357.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$222 ৳27.7K

165.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.67

-47.80%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sylhet: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Sylhet

$56 15.6% 81.7% $252

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Sylhet

$117 32.4% 50% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Sylhet

$44 12.3% 59.2% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Sylhet

$40 11.2% 57.2% $54

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Sylhet

$58 16% 25.6% $20

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sylhet

$29 8% 53% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Sylhet

$17 4.6% 66.6% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $125 in Sylhet. 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 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $11 in Sylhet. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $117 – making Sylhet the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇩 Sylhet

🕒 Local time

02:56 2:56 AM

01:56 1:56 AM

1 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

526,412

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.03 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.16 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 = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 125 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.03 USD). 1 EUR = 140 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.16 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Sylhet 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sylhet

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 Sylhet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 159% more than Sylhet, 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 $543 in Sylhet. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sylhet, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $125 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $29 in Sylhet. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 100% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $362 in Sylhet, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

If budget matters most, go with Sylhet. 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.