Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nonthaburi and Karaj

For one person, living costs are similar in Nonthaburi and in Karaj: $831 and $833 a month, rent and utilities included.

Nonthaburi
🇹🇭 Thailand
$831
/mo nomad
Karaj
🇮🇷 Iran
$833
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nonthaburi and in Karaj

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Nonthaburi and in Karaj actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $831 in Nonthaburi versus $833 in Karaj.

  • Nonthaburi $831
  • Karaj $833

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,295 in Nonthaburi versus $1,062 in Karaj.

  • Nonthaburi $1,295
  • Karaj $1,062

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,758 in Nonthaburi versus $1,291 in Karaj.

  • Nonthaburi $1,758
  • Karaj $1,291

Monthly costs are close between Nonthaburi and Karaj; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Nonthaburi 39% lower, Karaj 39% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Nonthaburi
Karaj
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.31 ฿111
$3.64 $3.64
-9.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$24.14 ฿807
$16.73 $16.73
44.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.55 ฿219
$3.89 $3.89
68.38%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$0.48 $0.48
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.07 $1.07
-
Cappuccino
$2.43 ฿81.2
$1.10 $1.10
120.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.68 ฿22.70
$0.43 $0.43
58.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ฿11.15
$1.65 $1.65
-80.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.13 ฿71.4
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.94 ฿98.4
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Nonthaburi
Karaj
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.43 ฿47.82
$0.66 $0.66
116.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.32 ฿44.22
$0.48 $0.48
175.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.22 ฿40.89
$2.09 $2.09
-41.63%
Eggs
$2.18 ฿72.8
$1.07 $1.07
103.74%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.03 ฿569
$4.46 $4.46
281.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.43 ฿81.4
$3.33 $3.33
-27.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.11 ฿338
$10.29 $10.29
-1.75%
Apples (1kg)
$3.59 ฿120
$0.91 $0.91
294.51%
Banana (1kg)
$0.93 ฿31.13
$1.71 $1.71
-45.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.39 ฿79.9
$0.75 $0.75
218.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.66 ฿55.3
$0.49 $0.49
238.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.67 ฿55.9
$0.43 $0.43
288.37%
Onion (1kg)
$1.55 ฿51.7
$0.48 $0.48
222.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 ฿39.07
$0.58 $0.58
101.72%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.33
$0.17 $0.17
205.88%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$0.82 $0.82
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.51 $0.51
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.39 $1.39
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.38 ฿146
$2.45 $2.45
78.78%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.37 ฿480
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 ฿59.5
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.33 ฿77.8
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Nonthaburi
Karaj
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.92 ฿30.68
$0.19 $0.19
384.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$12.90 $12.90
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.05 ฿35.24
$0.29 $0.29
262.07%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.16 ฿38.63
$0.29 $0.29
300.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.53 ฿118
$2.63 $2.63
34.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.37 ฿45.65
$0.10 $0.10
1270.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.1K ฿538.2K
$50.1K $50.1K
-67.86%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.7K ฿891.5K
$45.1K $45.1K
-40.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nonthaburi
Karaj
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$105 ฿3,508
$13.06 $13.06
703.83%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.43 ฿482
$1.65 $1.65
774.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.26 ฿710
$3.72 $3.72
471.51%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Nonthaburi
Karaj
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.8 ฿1,765
$23.16 $23.16
128.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.28 ฿444
$9.94 $9.94
33.60%
Cinema Ticket
$6.60 ฿221
$1.10 $1.10
500.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Nonthaburi
Karaj
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$569 ฿19.0K
$107 $107
430.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K ฿555.7K
$837 $837
1886.47%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Nonthaburi
Karaj
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$5.91 ฿198
$24.51 $24.51
-75.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.07 ฿1,172
$28.24 $28.24
24.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$70.6 ฿2,358
$97.3 $97.3
-27.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$58.4 ฿1,953
$76.4 $76.4
-23.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Nonthaburi
Karaj
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$704 ฿23.5K
$287 $287
145.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$204 ฿6,818
$498 $498
-59.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,356 ฿45.3K
$818 $818
65.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$419 ฿14.0K
$470 $470
-10.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,925 ฿64.3K
$1,267 $1,267
51.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,563 ฿52.2K
$536 $536
191.36%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Nonthaburi
Karaj
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$248 $248
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.25
23
-77.17%

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

Last update for Nonthaburi: October 18, 2026

Last update for Karaj: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Nonthaburi
$237
Karaj
$112 52.9% $126
Accommodation & Living
Nonthaburi
$204
Karaj
$498 144% $294
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Nonthaburi
$141
Karaj
$18 86.9% $122
Eating Out
Nonthaburi
$96
Karaj
$62 34.9% $34
Clothing & Footwear
Nonthaburi
$76
Karaj
$102 33.3% $25
Sport & Entertainment
Nonthaburi
$66
Karaj
$25 61.6% $41
Getting Around
Nonthaburi
$11 *
Karaj
$15 46.6% $4.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $704 in Nonthaburi and $287 in Karaj. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Nonthaburi vs $17.00 in Karaj for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $112 per month, with Karaj cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Nonthaburi
🇮🇷 Karaj
🕒 Local time
18:36 6:36 PM
15:06 3:06 PM
3 h 30 min behind Nonthaburi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
254,375
1,712,000
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
USD USD
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Nonthaburi Karaj 5,490 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Nonthaburi
  • Karaj

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
Nonthaburi vs Karaj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What salary covers living expenses in Nonthaburi compared to Karaj?
You'd need roughly $1,247 in Nonthaburi and $1,250 in Karaj to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Nonthaburi and in Karaj?
Rent for a central apartment: $704 in Nonthaburi versus $287 in Karaj. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Nonthaburi and Karaj?
Childcare runs $569 in Nonthaburi versus $107 in Karaj. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Shoppers in Karaj pay roughly 112% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $831 in Nonthaburi versus $833 in Karaj, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nonthaburi but tight or insufficient in Karaj. The gap between the two cities makes Nonthaburi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Nonthaburi and Karaj?
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.
Is Nonthaburi or Karaj safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Nonthaburi and Karaj are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
How do I decide between Nonthaburi and Karaj?
It comes down to priorities – Nonthaburi wins on affordability, Karaj on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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