Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lod and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,629 in Lod, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

134

Cost of Living Index in Lod
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Lod Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Lod

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,629

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,629 per month in Lod vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lod $2,629
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,950 per month in Lod vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lod $3,950
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $5,272 per month in Lod vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lod $5,272
Chiang Mai $1,979

Lod costs about 181% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lod sits 93% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.36 ₪73.2

$2.24 ฿75.6

942.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.5 ₪303

$19.00 ฿641

408.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$19.07 ₪59.8

$5.55 ฿187

243.60%

Cappuccino

$4.92 ₪15.43

$1.67 ฿56.5

194.61%

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

$3.61 ₪11.31

$0.64 ฿21.55

464.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ₪8.99

$0.31 ฿10.31

825.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.97 ₪24.98

$2.36 ฿79.6

237.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.89 ₪31.00

$3.66 ฿124

170.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.41 ₪7.55

$1.95 ฿65.8

23.59%

White Bread (500g)

$3.37 ₪10.56

$1.44 ฿48.48

134.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.55 ₪11.12

$1.33 ฿45.04

166.92%

Eggs

$4.91 ₪15.40

$2.28 ฿77.1

115.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.13 ₪53.7

$16.45 ฿555

4.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.34 ₪44.98

$2.78 ฿93.9

415.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.53 ₪80.0

$9.31 ฿314

174.22%

Apples (1kg)

$4.36 ₪13.67

$2.35 ฿79.4

85.53%

Banana (1kg)

$3.38 ₪10.59

$0.97 ฿32.80

248.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 ₪7.56

$1.60 ฿53.9

50.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 ₪7.56

$1.50 ฿50.6

60.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 ₪6.07

$1.28 ฿43.12

50.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 ₪5.17

$1.10 ฿37.19

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.03 ₪6.36

$0.71 ฿23.82

185.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 ₪5.89

$0.49 ฿16.37

283.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.73 ₪43.05

$4.14 ฿140

231.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.39 ₪48.26

$17.52 ฿591

-12.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.75 ₪11.75

$1.61 ฿54.5

132.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 ₪13.66

$2.78 ฿94.0

56.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.50 ₪7.83

$0.87 ฿29.31

187.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 ₪316

$54.1 ฿1,826

86.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.91 ₪12.25

$1.16 ฿39.06

237.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 ₪3.56

$0.53 ฿17.80

115.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.53 ₪61.2

$2.42 ฿81.8

707.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.55 ₪7.99

$1.45 ฿48.90

75.86%

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

$56.1K ₪175.9K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

166.35%

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

$55.0K ₪172.6K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

104.30%

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

$286 ₪895

$62.2 ฿2,098

359.24%

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

$11.47 ₪35.97

$12.17 ฿411

-5.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.47 ₪111

$20.12 ฿679

76.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$87.8 ₪275

$37.31 ฿1,259

135.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$15.01 ₪47.08

$6.49 ฿219

131.28%

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

$1,394 ₪4,370

$736 ฿24.8K

89.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.1K ₪91.2K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

96.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$118 ₪369

$53.4 ฿1,801

120.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.4 ₪236

$24.64 ฿831

205.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$150 ₪470

$91.5 ฿3,087

63.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 ₪497

$71.9 ฿2,428

120.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,756 ₪5,505

$482 ฿16.3K

264.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$990 ₪3,106

$309 ฿10.4K

220.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 ₪7,028

$1,006 ฿33.9K

122.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,642 ₪5,148

$633 ฿21.4K

159.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,169 ₪28.8K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

288.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,250 ₪25.9K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

419.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,548 ₪7,989

$590 ฿19.9K

332.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.99

5.57

-10.41%

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

Last update for Lod: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lod

$990 37.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 68.8% $682

Groceries & Markets

Lod

$453 17.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 48.3% $219

Eating Out

Lod

$389 14.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 80% $311

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lod

$332 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 71.6% $238

Clothing & Footwear

Lod

$226 8.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 51.9% $117

Getting Around

Lod

$120 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 49% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Lod

$118 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 57.3% $68

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,756 in Lod 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.

Salaries in Lod are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $97 in Lod versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $453 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Lod

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

17:03 5:03 PM

5 h ahead of Lod

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

81,202

127,240

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.319 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ILS – Israeli New Shekel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇱 Israeli New Shekel (₪)

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.14 ILS (1 ILS = 0.319 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ILS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lod Chiang Mai 6,510 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Lod
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

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

Lod costs about 181% 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 $3,943 per month in Lod 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,756 in Lod.

Kindergarten costs $1,394 per month in Lod 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 93% more in Lod, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,629 in Lod and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – 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.

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