Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dhaka and Chiang Rai

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.

20

Cost of Living Index in Dhaka
Learn more

Dhaka Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Rai
Learn more

Chiang Rai Living Index

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Dhaka

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$406

/mo nomad

Chiang Rai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Dhaka $406
Chiang Rai $710

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

Dhaka $687
Chiang Rai $1,133

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

Dhaka $969
Chiang Rai $1,556

Living in Dhaka costs roughly 43% less than in Chiang Rai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ৳282

$2.19 ฿73.1

4.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.33 ৳1,523

$15.08 ฿504

-18.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.95 ৳488

$5.47 ฿183

-27.79%

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

$1.32 ฿44.11

72.73%

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

$0.33 ৳40.88

$0.64 ฿21.44

-48.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.86

$0.27 ฿8.97

-40.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 ฿53.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ฿122

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 ৳104

$1.99 ฿66.4

-57.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ৳74.5

$1.45 ฿48.49

-58.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.69 ৳85.4

$1.16 ฿38.71

-40.52%

Eggs

$1.23 ৳152

$1.91 ฿63.7

-35.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.80 ৳1,087

$16.63 ฿556

-47.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ৳412

$2.79 ฿93.3

19.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 ৳819

$9.06 ฿303

-26.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ৳352

$2.40 ฿80.1

18.75%

Banana (1kg)

$0.90 ৳111

$0.86 ฿28.60

4.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ৳289

$1.57 ฿52.4

49.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.4

$0.93 ฿31.22

-32.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.24 ৳29.59

$1.22 ฿40.89

-80.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 ৳57.3

$1.06 ฿35.52

-56.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 ৳42.79

$0.77 ฿25.83

-54.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.24

$0.52 ฿17.44

-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

$3.77 ฿126

-13.00%

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)

$0.42 ৳52.3

$0.84 ฿28.01

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.43 ৳2,772

$22.09 ฿738

1.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$1.22 ฿40.68

-2.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ৳48.71

$0.53 ฿17.76

-26.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 ৳406

$2.42 ฿80.8

35.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ৳136

$1.34 ฿44.94

-17.91%

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

$29.4K ৳3.6M

$21.0K ฿702.0K

40.11%

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

$32.2K ৳4.0M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

19.99%

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

$38.28 ৳4,729

$61.2 ฿2,046

-37.48%

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

$4.09 ৳506

$12.51 ฿418

-67.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.02 ৳1,114

$13.60 ฿455

-33.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.66 ৳1,688

$35.64 ฿1,191

-61.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.21 ৳1,261

$5.85 ฿196

74.53%

Cinema Ticket

$4.11 ৳508

$2.95 ฿98.5

39.32%

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

$90.7 ৳11.2K

$783 ฿26.2K

-88.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,591 ৳320.2K

$14.7K ฿492.1K

-82.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.06 ৳2,108

$55.3 ฿1,849

-69.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.38 ৳2,641

$24.42 ฿816

-12.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.4 ৳6,355

$75.7 ฿2,530

-32.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.78 ৳4,545

$71.6 ฿2,393

-48.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$133 ৳16.4K

$228 ฿7,613

-41.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$65.1 ৳8,041

$151 ฿5,047

-56.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ৳46.6K

$509 ฿17.0K

-25.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$192 ৳23.8K

$359 ฿12.0K

-46.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,621 ৳200.3K

$1,911 ฿63.9K

-15.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$760 ৳93.9K

$967 ฿32.3K

-21.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$246 ৳30.4K

$583 ฿19.5K

-57.82%

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 Rai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dhaka

$124 30.5%

Chiang Rai

$230 32.4% 86.3% $107

Accommodation & Living

Dhaka

$65 16%

Chiang Rai

$151 21.3% 132% $86

Eating Out

Dhaka

$59 14.6%

Chiang Rai

$69 9.7% 15.7% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Dhaka

$57 14.1%

Chiang Rai

$102 14.4% 79.3% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dhaka

$51 12.7%

Chiang Rai

$87 12.3% 70% $36

Getting Around

Dhaka

$27 6.7%

Chiang Rai

$29 4.1% 7.4% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Dhaka

$22 5.4%

Chiang Rai

$42 5.9% 89.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $133 in Dhaka and $228 in Chiang Rai. 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: $12.00 in Dhaka vs $15.00 in Chiang Rai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $124 vs $230 per month, with Dhaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Dhaka

🇹🇭 Chiang Rai

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

06:42 6:42 AM

1 h ahead of Dhaka

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,741,000 Capital

77,672

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Dhaka
Chiang Rai

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 Rai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 137% lower in Chiang Rai. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

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

Childcare runs $90.7 in Dhaka versus $783 in Chiang Rai. 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, Dhaka and Chiang Rai 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.