Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Dhaka: $406 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
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Dhaka Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dhaka 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 Dhaka and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $406 per month in Dhaka vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dhaka $406
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $687 per month in Dhaka vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dhaka $687
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $969 per month in Dhaka vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dhaka $969
Chiang Mai $1,914

Dhaka is about 57% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Dhaka and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Dhaka 70% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$2.26 ฿75.4

0.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$19.18 ฿641

-35.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$5.59 ฿187

-29.34%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.48 ৳554

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 ৳510

Cappuccino

$2.28 ৳281

$1.72 ฿57.6

32.56%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$0.64 ฿21.54

-48.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.33 ฿11.18

-51.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$2.05 ฿68.6

-58.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$1.40 ฿46.70

-57.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$1.28 ฿42.89

-46.09%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$2.25 ฿75.3

-45.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$16.94 ฿566

-48.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$2.74 ฿91.6

21.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$9.36 ฿313

-29.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$2.40 ฿80.3

18.75%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$1.01 ฿33.92

-10.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$1.61 ฿53.9

45.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$1.52 ฿50.7

-58.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$1.28 ฿42.90

-81.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$1.11 ฿37.22

-58.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$0.72 ฿24.09

-51.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$0.52 ฿17.54

-46.15%

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)

$3.28 ৳405

$4.33 ฿145

-24.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$0.85 ฿28.31

-50.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

$53.9 ฿1,801

-58.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$1.17 ฿39.18

1.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$0.57 ฿19.00

-31.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$2.37 ฿79.2

38.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$1.45 ฿48.32

-24.14%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

43.74%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

21.30%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$62.3 ฿2,083

-38.58%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$12.27 ฿410

-66.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$19.97 ฿668

-54.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$37.91 ฿1,267

-63.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

$3.76 ฿126

171.54%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$6.71 ฿224

-38.75%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$797 ฿26.6K

-88.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-82.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$53.3 ฿1,780

-67.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$25.05 ฿837

-14.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$91.6 ฿3,062

-43.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$73.5 ฿2,455

-49.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$464 ฿15.5K

-71.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$305 ฿10.2K

-78.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$915 ฿30.6K

-58.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$552 ฿18.5K

-65.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-15.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-47.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

$595 ฿19.9K

-58.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.48

5.57

88.15%

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

Last update for Dhaka: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 92.5% $114

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 368% $240

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 33% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 92.2% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 84% $43

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 125% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 135% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $133 in Dhaka versus $464 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 run about 142% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $12.00 in Dhaka versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $124 vs $238 – making Dhaka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:55 12:55 AM

01:55 1:55 AM

1 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.09 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dhaka Chiang Mai 1,050 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dhaka
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

Dhaka vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 131% more than Dhaka, 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 $609 per month in Dhaka and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dhaka, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $90.7 per month in Dhaka and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 92% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dhaka, where all-in costs run around $406, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Dhaka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Dhaka costs $406 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Dhaka. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.