Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rajshahi and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Rajshahi: $320 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

15

Cost of Living Index in Rajshahi
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Rajshahi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Rajshahi

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$320

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $320 per month in Rajshahi vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rajshahi $320
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $505 per month in Rajshahi vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rajshahi $505
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $690 per month in Rajshahi vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rajshahi $690
Chiang Mai $1,979

Rajshahi is about 66% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rajshahi and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Rajshahi 76% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$0.78 ৳96.6

$2.24 ฿75.7

-65.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.92 ৳982

$19.00 ฿642

-58.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.84 ৳352

$5.55 ฿188

-48.83%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.78 ৳593

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 ৳277

Cappuccino

$1.31 ৳162

$1.67 ฿56.6

-21.56%

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

$0.30 ৳36.68

$0.64 ฿21.56

-53.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ৳20.48

$0.31 ฿10.32

-45.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 ৳91.3

$1.95 ฿65.8

-62.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 ৳78.5

$1.44 ฿48.51

-56.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.63 ৳78.0

$1.33 ฿45.07

-52.63%

Eggs

$1.14 ৳141

$2.28 ฿77.1

-50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.02 ৳1,118

$16.45 ฿556

-45.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ৳400

$2.78 ฿94.0

15.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.38 ৳791

$9.31 ฿314

-31.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 ৳331

$2.35 ฿79.5

13.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.92 ৳114

$0.97 ฿32.82

-5.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 ৳303

$1.60 ฿53.9

52.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.48 ৳59.7

$1.50 ฿50.7

-68.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.25 ৳31.04

$1.28 ฿43.15

-80.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 ৳64.4

$1.10 ฿37.22

-52.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 ৳41.35

$0.71 ฿23.84

-53.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ৳34.42

$0.49 ฿16.38

-42.86%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.02 ৳1,491

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ৳196

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ৳258

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.15 ৳390

$4.14 ฿140

-23.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

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)

$0.08 ৳9.88

$0.87 ฿29.33

-90.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.34 ৳1,531

$54.1 ฿1,827

-77.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ৳147

$1.16 ฿39.08

2.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ৳38.26

$0.53 ฿17.82

-41.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ৳124

$2.42 ฿81.8

-58.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ৳140

$1.45 ฿48.93

-22.07%

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

$29.3K ৳3.6M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

39.15%

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

$32.8K ৳4.1M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

21.62%

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

$46.64 ৳5,785

$62.2 ฿2,100

-24.98%

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

$4.55 ৳565

$12.17 ฿411

-62.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.03 ৳1,368

$20.12 ฿680

-45.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$6.03 ৳748

$37.31 ฿1,260

-83.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$4.10 ৳509

$6.49 ฿219

-36.83%

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

$13.66 ৳1,694

$736 ฿24.9K

-98.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$686 ৳85.1K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-95.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$6.84 ৳848

$53.4 ฿1,802

-87.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.95 ৳1,854

$24.64 ฿832

-39.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$25.49 ৳3,161

$91.5 ฿3,089

-72.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$21.38 ৳2,652

$71.9 ฿2,429

-70.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$73.0 ৳9,055

$482 ฿16.3K

-84.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$44.86 ৳5,564

$309 ฿10.4K

-85.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$134 ৳16.7K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-86.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$97.0 ৳12.0K

$633 ฿21.4K

-84.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$483 ৳59.9K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-79.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,258 ৳280.1K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

42.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$213 ৳26.4K

$590 ฿19.9K

-63.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

5.57

91.56%

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

Last update for Rajshahi: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Rajshahi

$121 37.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 94.5% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rajshahi

$62 19.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 51.8% $32

Accommodation & Living

Rajshahi

$45 14%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 589% $264

Eating Out

Rajshahi

$32 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 141% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Rajshahi

$31 9.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 252% $78

Getting Around

Rajshahi

$15 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 299% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Rajshahi

$14 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 253% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $73 in Rajshahi 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 Chiang Mai are about 2.8 times higher, 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 $8 in Rajshahi versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $121 vs $234 – making Rajshahi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Rajshahi

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:18 4:18 AM

05:18 5:18 AM

1 h ahead of Rajshahi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

451,425

127,240

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.06 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.24 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BDT – Bangladeshi Taka Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇩 Bangladeshi Taka (৳)

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.06 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.24 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rajshahi Chiang Mai 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Rajshahi
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 192% more than Rajshahi, 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 $481 per month in Rajshahi 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 Rajshahi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $73 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $13.66 per month in Rajshahi 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 94% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Rajshahi – 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 Rajshahi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.