Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sylhet and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Sylhet: $362 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

17

Cost of Living Index in Sylhet
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Sylhet Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sylhet

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$362

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $362 per month in Sylhet vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sylhet $362
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $612 per month in Sylhet vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sylhet $612
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $861 per month in Sylhet vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sylhet $861
Chiang Mai $1,979

Sylhet is about 61% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sylhet and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sylhet 73% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.37 ৳293

$2.24 ฿75.6

5.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.13 ৳1,379

$19.00 ฿641

-41.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.96 ৳491

$5.55 ฿187

-28.65%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.82 ৳597

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 ৳493

Cappuccino

$2.08 ৳258

$1.67 ฿56.5

24.55%

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

$0.33 ৳40.33

$0.64 ฿21.55

-48.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ৳19.93

$0.31 ฿10.31

-48.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$0.84 ৳104

$1.95 ฿65.8

-56.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 ৳69.3

$1.44 ฿48.48

-61.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 ৳80.4

$1.33 ฿45.04

-51.13%

Eggs

$1.21 ৳150

$2.28 ฿77.1

-46.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.45 ৳923

$16.45 ฿555

-54.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 ৳393

$2.78 ฿93.9

14.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.64 ৳823

$9.31 ฿314

-28.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 ৳331

$2.35 ฿79.4

13.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.92 ৳114

$0.97 ฿32.80

-5.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 ৳300

$1.60 ฿53.9

51.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.60 ৳74.2

$1.50 ฿50.6

-60.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.23 ৳28.46

$1.28 ฿43.12

-82.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 ৳64.2

$1.10 ฿37.19

-52.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.33 ৳40.96

$0.71 ฿23.82

-53.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 ৳33.01

$0.49 ฿16.37

-44.90%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.90 ৳360

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 ৳245

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 ৳482

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 ৳348

$4.14 ฿140

-32.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

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)

$0.71 ৳87.8

$0.87 ฿29.31

-18.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.00 ৳2,974

$54.1 ฿1,826

-55.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 ৳149

$1.16 ฿39.06

3.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.16 ৳19.84

$0.53 ฿17.80

-69.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 ৳137

$2.42 ฿81.8

-54.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 ৳128

$1.45 ฿48.90

-28.28%

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

$29.5K ৳3.7M

$21.1K ฿710.7K

39.99%

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

$33.0K ৳4.1M

$26.9K ฿909.3K

22.63%

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

$25.16 ৳3,118

$62.2 ฿2,098

-59.53%

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

$4.33 ৳536

$12.17 ฿411

-64.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.91 ৳1,352

$20.12 ฿679

-45.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$8.90 ৳1,103

$37.31 ฿1,259

-76.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.03 ৳499

$3.77 ฿127

6.90%

Cinema Ticket

$3.95 ৳489

$6.49 ฿219

-39.14%

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

$28.58 ৳3,542

$736 ฿24.8K

-96.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$961 ৳119.0K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-93.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.99 ৳1,982

$53.4 ฿1,801

-70.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.93 ৳1,974

$24.64 ฿831

-35.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.96 ৳4,580

$91.5 ฿3,087

-59.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$29.67 ৳3,677

$71.9 ฿2,428

-58.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$125 ৳15.5K

$482 ฿16.3K

-74.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$56.4 ৳6,994

$309 ฿10.4K

-81.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$175 ৳21.7K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-82.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$161 ৳19.9K

$633 ฿21.4K

-74.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$684 ৳84.8K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-71.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$347 ৳43.0K

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-78.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$222 ৳27.5K

$590 ฿19.9K

-62.33%

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 Sylhet: 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

Sylhet

$117 32.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 99.9% $117

Eating Out

Sylhet

$58 16%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 34.4% $20

Accommodation & Living

Sylhet

$56 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 447% $252

Clothing & Footwear

Sylhet

$44 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 145% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sylhet

$40 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 134% $54

Getting Around

Sylhet

$29 8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 113% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Sylhet

$17 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 199% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $125 in Sylhet 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 $11 in Sylhet versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $117 vs $234 – making Sylhet the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇩 Sylhet

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:33 10:33 AM

11:33 11:33 AM

1 h ahead of Sylhet

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

526,412

127,240

💱 Currency

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 BDT = 8.07 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.23 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.07 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.23 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to BDT in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sylhet Chiang Mai 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sylhet
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 159% more than Sylhet, 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 $543 per month in Sylhet 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 Sylhet, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $125 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $29 per month in Sylhet 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 100% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $362 in Sylhet and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Sylhet – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Sylhet. 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.