Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Rai and Dhaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $710 in Chiang Rai, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Rai
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Chiang Rai Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index

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Chiang Rai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$710

/mo nomad

Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Rai and in Dhaka

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Rai and in Dhaka actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $710 in Chiang Rai versus $406 in Dhaka.

Chiang Rai $710
Dhaka $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,133 in Chiang Rai versus $687 in Dhaka.

Chiang Rai $1,133
Dhaka $687

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,556 in Chiang Rai versus $969 in Dhaka.

Chiang Rai $1,556
Dhaka $969

Living in Chiang Rai is roughly 75% more expensive than in Dhaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Rai 47% lower, Dhaka 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.19 ฿73.1

$2.28 ৳282

-3.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.08 ฿504

$12.33 ৳1,523

22.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 ฿183

$3.95 ৳488

38.48%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$1.32 ฿44.11

$2.28 ৳281

-42.11%

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

$0.64 ฿21.44

$0.33 ৳40.88

93.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ฿8.97

$0.16 ৳19.86

68.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 ฿53.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ฿122

Milk (1 liter)

$1.99 ฿66.4

$0.85 ৳104

134.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.49

$0.60 ৳74.5

141.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 ฿38.71

$0.69 ৳85.4

68.12%

Eggs

$1.91 ฿63.7

$1.23 ৳152

55.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.63 ฿556

$8.80 ৳1,087

88.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$3.33 ৳412

-16.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.06 ฿303

$6.63 ৳819

36.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.1

$2.85 ৳352

-15.79%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 ฿28.60

$0.90 ৳111

-4.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ฿52.4

$2.34 ৳289

-32.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.93 ฿31.22

$0.63 ৳78.4

47.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 ฿40.89

$0.24 ৳29.59

408.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ฿35.52

$0.46 ৳57.3

130.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 ฿25.83

$0.35 ৳42.79

120.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.44

$0.28 ৳34.24

85.71%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.11 ৳1,496

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.31 ৳656

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.42 ৳794

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ฿126

$3.28 ৳405

14.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.03 ฿603

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ฿92.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 ฿28.01

$0.42 ৳52.3

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.09 ฿738

$22.43 ৳2,772

-1.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿40.68

$1.19 ৳147

2.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.76

$0.39 ৳48.71

35.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿80.8

$3.28 ৳406

-26.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ฿44.94

$1.10 ৳136

21.82%

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

$21.0K ฿702.0K

$29.4K ৳3.6M

-28.63%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$32.2K ৳4.0M

-16.66%

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

$61.2 ฿2,046

$38.28 ৳4,729

59.95%

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

$12.51 ฿418

$4.09 ৳506

205.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.60 ฿455

$9.02 ৳1,114

50.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.64 ฿1,191

$13.66 ৳1,688

160.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.85 ฿196

$10.21 ৳1,261

-42.70%

Cinema Ticket

$2.95 ฿98.5

$4.11 ৳508

-28.22%

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

$783 ฿26.2K

$90.7 ৳11.2K

762.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K ฿492.1K

$2,591 ৳320.2K

468.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 ฿1,849

$17.06 ৳2,108

224.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.42 ฿816

$21.38 ৳2,641

14.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.7 ฿2,530

$51.4 ৳6,355

47.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.6 ฿2,393

$36.78 ৳4,545

94.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$228 ฿7,613

$133 ৳16.4K

71.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 ฿5,047

$65.1 ৳8,041

132.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.0K

$377 ৳46.6K

35.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 ฿12.0K

$192 ৳23.8K

86.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,911 ฿63.9K

$1,621 ৳200.3K

17.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$967 ฿32.3K

$760 ৳93.9K

27.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$583 ฿19.5K

$246 ৳30.4K

137.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.48

-46.85%

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

Last update for Chiang Rai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Rai

$230 32.4%

Dhaka

$124 30.5% 46.3% $107

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Rai

$151 21.3%

Dhaka

$65 16% 56.9% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Rai

$102 14.4%

Dhaka

$57 14.1% 44.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Rai

$87 12.3%

Dhaka

$51 12.7% 41.2% $36

Eating Out

Chiang Rai

$69 9.7%

Dhaka

$59 14.6% 13.5% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Rai

$42 5.9%

Dhaka

$22 5.4% 47.3% $20

Getting Around

Chiang Rai

$29 4.1%

Dhaka

$27 6.7% 6.9% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $228 in Chiang Rai and $133 in Dhaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Rai pays 137% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $15.00 in Chiang Rai vs $12.00 in Dhaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $230 vs $124 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Rai

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🕒 Local time

05:12 5:12 AM

04:12 4:12 AM

1 h behind Chiang Rai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,672

21,741,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 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 October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Rai Dhaka 1,060 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Rai
Dhaka

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 Rai vs Dhaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Rai and Dhaka differ by about 75% in total monthly costs ($710 vs $406 including rent). Dhaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 137% higher in Chiang Rai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $228 in Chiang Rai versus $133 in Dhaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $783 in Chiang Rai versus $90.7 in Dhaka. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 86% higher in Chiang Rai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Dhaka gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Chiang Rai and Dhaka are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dhaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Chiang Rai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.