Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koura and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,235 in Koura, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Koura
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Koura Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Koura

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,235

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,235 per month in Koura vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Koura $1,235
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,937 per month in Koura vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Koura $1,937
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,638 per month in Koura vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Koura $2,638
Chiang Mai $1,914

Koura costs about 32% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Koura and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Koura 9% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.95 LBP 1.1M

$2.26 ฿75.4

428.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.5 LBP 6.1M

$19.18 ฿641

257.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.07 LBP 901.7K

$5.59 ฿187

80.14%

Cappuccino

$4.49 LBP 402.1K

$1.72 ฿57.6

161.05%

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

$2.31 LBP 206.9K

$0.64 ฿21.54

260.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 LBP 81.4K

$0.33 ฿11.18

175.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 LBP 456.2K

$2.36 ฿78.7

116.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.74 LBP 424.0K

$3.90 ฿130

21.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 LBP 180.3K

$2.05 ฿68.6

-1.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.85 LBP 76.2K

$1.40 ฿46.70

-39.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 LBP 210.3K

$1.28 ฿42.89

83.59%

Eggs

$3.65 LBP 326.4K

$2.25 ฿75.3

62.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.91 LBP 976.2K

$16.94 ฿566

-35.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.48 LBP 937.8K

$2.74 ฿91.6

282.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.72 LBP 1.3M

$9.36 ฿313

57.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 LBP 280.0K

$2.40 ฿80.3

30.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 LBP 151.7K

$1.01 ฿33.92

67.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 LBP 144.6K

$1.61 ฿53.9

0.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 LBP 132.8K

$1.52 ฿50.7

-2.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 LBP 106.8K

$1.28 ฿42.90

-7.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 LBP 143.8K

$1.11 ฿37.22

45.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 LBP 108.1K

$0.72 ฿24.09

68.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 LBP 64.6K

$0.52 ฿17.54

38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 LBP 261.6K

$4.33 ฿145

-32.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.17 LBP 999.9K

$17.73 ฿593

-37.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 LBP 114.8K

$1.63 ฿54.4

-21.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 LBP 221.0K

$2.85 ฿95.3

-13.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.95 LBP 174.5K

$0.85 ฿28.31

129.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.95 LBP 442.7K

$1.17 ฿39.18

323.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.28 LBP 203.7K

$0.57 ฿19.00

300.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.62 LBP 2.0M

$2.37 ฿79.2

854.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 LBP 79.0K

$1.45 ฿48.32

-39.31%

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

$54.4K LBP 4.9B

$20.5K ฿684.3K

165.54%

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

$32.8K LBP 2.9B

$26.5K ฿886.1K

23.67%

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

$231 LBP 20.7M

$62.3 ฿2,083

270.67%

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

$21.68 LBP 1.9M

$12.27 ฿410

76.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.07 LBP 3.4M

$19.97 ฿668

90.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.26 LBP 2.3M

$37.91 ฿1,267

-33.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.87 LBP 883.7K

$3.76 ฿126

162.50%

Cinema Ticket

$10.08 LBP 902.5K

$6.71 ฿224

50.22%

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

$687 LBP 61.5M

$797 ฿26.6K

-13.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K LBP 942.7M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-28.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.1 LBP 6.1M

$53.3 ฿1,780

27.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.89 LBP 4.4M

$25.05 ฿837

95.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 LBP 12.5M

$91.6 ฿3,062

52.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 LBP 10.9M

$73.5 ฿2,455

66.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$252 LBP 22.5M

$464 ฿15.5K

-45.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$201 LBP 18.0M

$305 ฿10.2K

-33.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$443 LBP 39.7M

$915 ฿30.6K

-51.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 LBP 31.6M

$552 ฿18.5K

-35.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,134 LBP 101.5M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-40.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$838 LBP 75.0M

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-41.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$606 LBP 54.3M

$595 ฿19.9K

1.85%

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 Koura: October 13, 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

Koura

$291 23.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 67.5% $196

Groceries & Markets

Koura

$276 22.3%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 13.6% $38

Eating Out

Koura

$228 18.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 65.3% $149

Accommodation & Living

Koura

$201 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 51.4% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Koura

$170 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 35.7% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Koura

$45 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 13% $5.9

Getting Around

Koura

$24 * 2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 154% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $252 in Koura 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 2% higher in Koura, 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 $69.0 in Koura versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $276 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Koura

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:16 3:16 AM

07:16 7:16 AM

4 h ahead of Koura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

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 19, 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 19, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Koura Chiang Mai 6,420 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Koura
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

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

Koura costs about 32% 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 $1,853 per month in Koura 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69.0 in Koura 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 16% more in Koura, 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 Koura at $1,235. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Koura it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,235 in Koura. 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, Koura makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.