Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cox's Bazar and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Cox’s Bazar: $348 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

17

Cost of Living Index in Cox's Bazar
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Cox's Bazar Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Cox's Bazar

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$348

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cox's Bazar and in Chiang Mai

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

A single person spends $348 per month in Cox’s Bazar vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cox's Bazar $348
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $558 per month in Cox’s Bazar vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cox's Bazar $558
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $769 per month in Cox’s Bazar vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cox's Bazar $769
Chiang Mai $1,979

Cox’s Bazar is about 63% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cox’s Bazar and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Cox’s Bazar 74% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.56 ৳194

$2.24 ฿75.7

-30.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.21 ৳1,514

$19.00 ฿642

-35.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.95 ৳366

$5.55 ฿188

-46.85%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ৳321

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 ৳309

Cappuccino

$1.92 ৳238

$1.67 ฿56.6

14.97%

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

$0.36 ৳44.61

$0.64 ฿21.56

-43.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.10 ৳12.91

$0.31 ฿10.32

-67.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 ৳99.3

$1.95 ฿65.8

-58.97%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ৳62.2

$1.44 ฿48.51

-65.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ৳81.9

$1.33 ฿45.07

-50.38%

Eggs

$1.04 ৳129

$2.28 ฿77.1

-54.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.20 ৳893

$16.45 ฿556

-56.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.07 ৳256

$2.78 ฿94.0

-25.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.29 ৳904

$9.31 ฿314

-21.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ৳291

$2.35 ฿79.5

Banana (1kg)

$0.88 ৳109

$0.97 ฿32.82

-9.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ৳199

$1.60 ฿53.9

Tomato (1kg)

$0.52 ৳64.2

$1.50 ฿50.7

-65.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$1.28 ฿43.15

-64.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.58 ৳71.4

$1.10 ฿37.22

-47.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 ৳58.6

$0.71 ฿23.84

-33.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.30 ৳36.76

$0.49 ฿16.38

-38.78%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$7.68 ৳953

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.55 ৳317

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 ৳565

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.91 ৳237

$4.14 ฿140

-53.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 ৳36.35

$1.16 ฿39.08

-75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ৳43.24

$0.53 ฿17.82

-33.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.16 ৳516

$2.42 ฿81.8

71.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 ৳142

$1.45 ฿48.93

-21.38%

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

$31.7K ৳3.9M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

50.34%

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

$34.0K ৳4.2M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

26.08%

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

$12.20 ৳1,513

$62.2 ฿2,100

-80.38%

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

$2.63 ৳327

$12.17 ฿411

-78.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.12 ৳1,379

$20.12 ฿680

-44.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.05 ৳1,991

$37.31 ฿1,260

-56.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.07 ৳504

$3.77 ฿127

7.96%

Cinema Ticket

$2.36 ৳293

$6.49 ฿219

-63.64%

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

$24.65 ৳3,058

$736 ฿24.9K

-96.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,454 ৳180.3K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-90.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.55 ৳2,797

$53.4 ฿1,802

-57.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.21 ৳2,258

$24.64 ฿832

-26.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$32.91 ৳4,082

$91.5 ฿3,089

-64.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.87 ৳4,325

$71.9 ฿2,429

-51.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$164 ৳20.4K

$482 ฿16.3K

-65.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$96.1 ৳11.9K

$309 ฿10.4K

-68.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$300 ৳37.2K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-70.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$164 ৳20.3K

$633 ฿21.4K

-74.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$348 ৳43.1K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-85.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$261 ৳32.4K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-83.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$286 ৳35.4K

$590 ฿19.9K

-51.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

5.57

106.46%

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

Last update for Cox's Bazar: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cox's Bazar

$108 31%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 118% $127

Accommodation & Living

Cox's Bazar

$96 27.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 222% $213

Clothing & Footwear

Cox's Bazar

$49 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 122% $60

Eating Out

Cox's Bazar

$46 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 67.7% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cox's Bazar

$26 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 264% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Cox's Bazar

$21 6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 142% $30

Getting Around

Cox's Bazar

$2 * 0.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2908% $59

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $164 in Cox’s Bazar versus $482 in Chiang Mai. 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 2.1 times higher, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12 in Cox’s Bazar versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $108 vs $234 – making Cox’s Bazar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Cox's Bazar

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:28 4:28 AM

05:28 5:28 AM

1 h ahead of Cox's Bazar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

223,522

127,240

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.06 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.24 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇩 Bangladeshi Taka (৳)

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.06 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.24 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cox's Bazar Chiang Mai 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cox's Bazar
Chiang Mai

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

Cox's Bazar vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 169% more than Cox’s Bazar, 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 $521 per month in Cox’s Bazar and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cox’s Bazar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $164 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12 in Cox’s Bazar and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 118% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $348 in Cox’s Bazar and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Cox’s Bazar – 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 Cox’s Bazar. 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.