Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rasht and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Rasht: $472 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Rasht
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Rasht Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Rasht

🇮🇷 Iran

$472

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $472 per month in Rasht vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rasht $472
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $729 per month in Rasht vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rasht $729
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $986 per month in Rasht vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rasht $986
Chiang Mai $1,979

Rasht is about 50% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rasht and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Rasht 65% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.41 $3.41

$2.24 ฿75.7

52.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.13 $16.13

$19.00 ฿642

-15.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.07 $4.07

$5.55 ฿188

-26.67%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.71 $0.71

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 $0.99

Cappuccino

$1.38 $1.38

$1.67 ฿56.6

-17.37%

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

$0.51 $0.51

$0.64 ฿21.56

-20.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$0.31 ฿10.32

216.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$0.54 $0.54

$1.95 ฿65.8

-72.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.44 ฿48.51

-65.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.33 ฿45.07

39.10%

Eggs

$1.29 $1.29

$2.28 ฿77.1

-43.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.40 $4.40

$16.45 ฿556

-73.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.59 $2.59

$2.78 ฿94.0

-6.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.96 $8.96

$9.31 ฿314

-3.76%

Apples (1kg)

$0.76 $0.76

$2.35 ฿79.5

-67.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 $1.33

$0.97 ฿32.82

37.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.74 $0.74

$1.60 ฿53.9

-53.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.48 $0.48

$1.50 ฿50.7

-68.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.48 $0.48

$1.28 ฿43.15

-62.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.50 $0.50

$1.10 ฿37.22

-54.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 $0.34

$0.71 ฿23.84

-52.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.26 $0.26

$0.49 ฿16.38

-46.94%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.78 $0.78

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 $0.24

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 $1.31

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.67 $1.67

$4.14 ฿140

-59.66%

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)

$0.17 $0.17

$0.87 ฿29.33

-80.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.20 $11.20

$54.1 ฿1,827

-79.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 $0.52

$1.16 ฿39.08

-55.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 $0.22

$0.53 ฿17.82

-58.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 $1.54

$2.42 ฿81.8

-36.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.09 $0.09

$1.45 ฿48.93

-93.79%

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

$49.8K $49.8K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

136.32%

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

$45.2K $45.2K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

67.59%

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

$12.79 $12.79

$62.2 ฿2,100

-79.43%

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

$1.54 $1.54

$12.17 ฿411

-87.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.00 $4.00

$20.12 ฿680

-80.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.38 $18.38

$37.31 ฿1,260

-50.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 $11.92

$3.77 ฿127

216.18%

Cinema Ticket

$1.02 $1.02

$6.49 ฿219

-84.28%

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

$82.4 $82.4

$736 ฿24.9K

-88.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,603 $2,603

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-82.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.10 $16.10

$53.4 ฿1,802

-69.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.27 $25.27

$24.64 ฿832

2.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 $109

$91.5 ฿3,089

18.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 $73.3

$71.9 ฿2,429

1.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$209 $209

$482 ฿16.3K

-56.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 $158

$309 ฿10.4K

-48.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$381 $381

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-62.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$213 $213

$633 ฿21.4K

-66.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,238 $1,238

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-47.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$629 $629

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-60.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 $215

$590 ฿19.9K

-63.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

241.11%

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

Last update for Rasht: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rasht

$158 33.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 96% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Rasht

$100 21.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 8.1% $8.2

Groceries & Markets

Rasht

$100 21.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 135% $135

Eating Out

Rasht

$62 13.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 25.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Rasht

$20 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 146% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rasht

$18 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 415% $76

Getting Around

Rasht

$13 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 355% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $209 in Rasht 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 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Rasht versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $100 vs $234 – making Rasht the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Rasht

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:39 3:39 AM

07:09 7:09 AM

3 h 30 min ahead of Rasht

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

679,995

127,240

💱 Currency

USD USD

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

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Rasht Chiang Mai 5,200 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rasht
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Chiang Mai costs about 98% more than Rasht, 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 $708 per month in Rasht 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 Rasht, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $209 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $82 per month in Rasht 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 135% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Rasht, where all-in costs run around $472, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Rasht it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rasht – 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 Rasht. 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.