Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gonbad-e Kavus and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Gonbad-e Kavus: $515 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Gonbad-e Kavus
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Gonbad-e Kavus Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Gonbad-e Kavus

🇮🇷 Iran

$515

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $515 per month in Gonbad-e Kavus vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gonbad-e Kavus $515
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $819 per month in Gonbad-e Kavus vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gonbad-e Kavus $819
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,123 per month in Gonbad-e Kavus vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gonbad-e Kavus $1,123
Chiang Mai $1,979

Gonbad-e Kavus is about 45% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Gonbad-e Kavus and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Gonbad-e Kavus 62% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.88 $2.88

$2.24 ฿75.6

28.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.03 $16.03

$19.00 ฿641

-15.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.84 $3.84

$5.55 ฿187

-30.81%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.70 $0.70

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 $1.16

Cappuccino

$1.09 $1.09

$1.67 ฿56.5

-34.73%

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

$0.46 $0.46

$0.64 ฿21.55

-28.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.31 ฿10.31

219.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$0.69 $0.69

$1.95 ฿65.8

-64.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 $0.51

$1.44 ฿48.48

-64.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.33 ฿45.04

49.62%

Eggs

$1.23 $1.23

$2.28 ฿77.1

-46.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.48 $4.48

$16.45 ฿555

-72.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 $3.31

$2.78 ฿93.9

19.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.16 $10.16

$9.31 ฿314

9.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.01 $1.01

$2.35 ฿79.4

-57.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 $1.55

$0.97 ฿32.80

59.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.83 $0.83

$1.60 ฿53.9

-48.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.56 $0.56

$1.50 ฿50.6

-62.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 $0.58

$1.28 ฿43.12

-54.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 $0.48

$1.10 ฿37.19

-56.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 $0.54

$0.71 ฿23.82

-23.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.23 $0.23

$0.49 ฿16.37

-53.06%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.81 $0.81

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 $1.38

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.44 $2.44

$4.14 ฿140

-41.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

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)

$0.14 $0.14

$0.87 ฿29.31

-83.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.18 $8.18

$54.1 ฿1,826

-84.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.42 $0.42

$1.16 ฿39.06

-63.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 $0.29

$0.53 ฿17.80

-45.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.54 $2.54

$2.42 ฿81.8

4.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.09 $0.09

$1.45 ฿48.90

-93.79%

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

$47.8K $47.8K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

127.06%

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

$44.1K $44.1K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

63.56%

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

$13.11 $13.11

$62.2 ฿2,098

-78.91%

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

$1.58 $1.58

$12.17 ฿411

-87.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.49 $4.49

$20.12 ฿679

-77.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.79 $18.79

$37.31 ฿1,259

-49.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.80 $14.80

$3.77 ฿127

292.57%

Cinema Ticket

$1.72 $1.72

$6.49 ฿219

-73.50%

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

$99.5 $99.5

$736 ฿24.8K

-86.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,394 $2,394

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-83.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.78 $22.78

$53.4 ฿1,801

-57.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.18 $31.18

$24.64 ฿831

26.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.5 $89.5

$91.5 ฿3,087

-2.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.9 $63.9

$71.9 ฿2,428

-11.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 $278

$482 ฿16.3K

-42.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$202 $202

$309 ฿10.4K

-34.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$782 $782

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-22.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 $350

$633 ฿21.4K

-44.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,142 $1,142

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-51.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$540 $540

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-65.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.3

5.57

336.27%

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

Last update for Gonbad-e Kavus: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gonbad-e Kavus

$202 39.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 52.6% $106

Groceries & Markets

Gonbad-e Kavus

$114 22.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 107% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Gonbad-e Kavus

$93 18.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 16.4% $15

Eating Out

Gonbad-e Kavus

$53 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 45.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Gonbad-e Kavus

$22 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 126% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gonbad-e Kavus

$19 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 393% $75

Getting Around

Gonbad-e Kavus

$11 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 478% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $278 in Gonbad-e Kavus 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Gonbad-e Kavus versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $114 vs $234 – making Gonbad-e Kavus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Gonbad-e Kavus

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:07 8:07 AM

11:37 11:37 AM

3 h 30 min ahead of Gonbad-e Kavus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

151,910

127,240

💱 Currency

USD USD

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Gonbad-e Kavus Chiang Mai 4,710 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Gonbad-e Kavus
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Gonbad-e Kavus vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 82% more than Gonbad-e Kavus, 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 $772 per month in Gonbad-e Kavus 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 Gonbad-e Kavus, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $278 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $99 per month in Gonbad-e Kavus and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 106% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Gonbad-e Kavus is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 45% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.