Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hermel and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $993 in Hermel, rent and utilities included – about $660 less a year. The total is higher in Hermel despite lower rent and utilities.

49

Cost of Living Index in Hermel
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Hermel Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Hermel

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$993

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $993 per month in Hermel vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hermel $993
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,594 per month in Hermel vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hermel $1,594
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,194 per month in Hermel vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hermel $2,194
Chiang Mai $1,914

Hermel costs about 6% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hermel and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Hermel 26% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.80 LBP 1.1M

$2.26 ฿75.4

422.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.6 LBP 6.2M

$19.18 ฿641

263.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 LBP 891.3K

$5.59 ฿187

78.18%

Cappuccino

$4.42 LBP 395.6K

$1.72 ฿57.6

156.98%

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

$2.29 LBP 204.7K

$0.64 ฿21.54

257.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 LBP 76.9K

$0.33 ฿11.18

160.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.14 LBP 459.7K

$2.36 ฿78.7

117.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.71 LBP 421.3K

$3.90 ฿130

20.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 LBP 170.3K

$2.05 ฿68.6

-7.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 LBP 76.3K

$1.40 ฿46.70

-39.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 LBP 210.5K

$1.28 ฿42.89

83.59%

Eggs

$3.56 LBP 318.2K

$2.25 ฿75.3

58.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.20 LBP 1.0M

$16.94 ฿566

-33.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.55 LBP 944.2K

$2.74 ฿91.6

285.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.62 LBP 1.3M

$9.36 ฿313

56.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 LBP 266.7K

$2.40 ฿80.3

24.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 LBP 151.8K

$1.01 ฿33.92

68.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 LBP 149.2K

$1.61 ฿53.9

3.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 LBP 135.7K

$1.52 ฿50.7

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 LBP 108.5K

$1.28 ฿42.90

-5.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 LBP 142.3K

$1.11 ฿37.22

43.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 LBP 109.5K

$0.72 ฿24.09

69.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 LBP 59.7K

$0.52 ฿17.54

28.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 LBP 271.0K

$4.33 ฿145

-30.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 LBP 974.1K

$17.73 ฿593

-38.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 LBP 114.6K

$1.63 ฿54.4

-21.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 LBP 228.8K

$2.85 ฿95.3

-10.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 LBP 457.2K

$1.17 ฿39.18

336.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 LBP 196.5K

$0.57 ฿19.00

285.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.43 LBP 2.0M

$2.37 ฿79.2

846.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 LBP 98.0K

$1.45 ฿48.32

-24.83%

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

$52.9K LBP 4.7B

$20.5K ฿684.3K

158.52%

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

$32.6K LBP 2.9B

$26.5K ฿886.1K

22.95%

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

$231 LBP 20.7M

$62.3 ฿2,083

270.59%

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

$21.90 LBP 2.0M

$12.27 ฿410

78.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.63 LBP 3.4M

$19.97 ฿668

88.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 LBP 880.3K

$6.71 ฿224

46.65%

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

$683 LBP 61.2M

$797 ฿26.6K

-14.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K LBP 970.0M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-26.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.4 LBP 6.0M

$53.3 ฿1,780

26.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.46 LBP 4.4M

$25.05 ฿837

97.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$137 LBP 12.2M

$91.6 ฿3,062

48.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 LBP 10.7M

$73.5 ฿2,455

63.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

97.49%

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

Last update for Hermel: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hermel

$291 29.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 67.4% $196

Groceries & Markets

Hermel

$274 27.6%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 13.1% $36

Eating Out

Hermel

$225 22.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 64.9% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Hermel

$168 16.9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 34.8% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Hermel

$20 * 2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 161% $32

Getting Around

Hermel

$16 * 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 281% $45

Accommodation & Living

Hermel

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Hermel versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $274 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Hermel

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:25 2:25 AM

06:25 6:25 AM

4 h ahead of Hermel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,250

127,240

💱 Currency

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to LBP – Lebanese Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇧 Lebanese Pound (ل.ل)

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,618 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 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 LBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hermel Chiang Mai 6,360 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Hermel
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

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

Hermel costs about 6% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,490 per month in Hermel and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Hermel and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Hermel, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Hermel at $993. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hermel it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $993 in Hermel. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hermel makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.