Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varamin and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Varamin: $567 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Varamin
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Varamin Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Varamin

🇮🇷 Iran

$567

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $567 per month in Varamin vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Varamin $567
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $893 per month in Varamin vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Varamin $893
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,218 per month in Varamin vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Varamin $1,218
Chiang Mai $1,999

Varamin is about 39% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Varamin and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Varamin 58% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.52 $3.52

$2.13 ฿71.6

65.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.73 $15.73

$18.62 ฿624

-15.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.07 $4.07

$5.60 ฿188

-27.32%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.69 $0.69

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

Cappuccino

$1.31 $1.31

$1.66 ฿55.8

-21.08%

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

$0.49 $0.49

$0.65 ฿21.69

-24.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.30 ฿10.22

453.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$0.65 $0.65

$2.02 ฿67.6

-67.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 $0.57

$1.41 ฿47.21

-59.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.34 $3.34

$1.39 ฿46.67

140.29%

Eggs

$1.23 $1.23

$2.37 ฿79.4

-48.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$16.52 ฿554

-73.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.67 ฿89.5

25.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.18 $10.18

$9.02 ฿302

12.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.38 $1.38

$2.40 ฿80.4

-42.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.04 ฿34.91

85.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.66 ฿55.6

-27.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 $0.68

$1.56 ฿52.3

-56.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 $0.55

$1.24 ฿41.50

-55.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 $0.51

$1.09 ฿36.44

-53.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 $0.53

$0.76 ฿25.54

-30.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 $0.28

$0.51 ฿17.24

-45.10%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 $0.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.44 $2.44

$4.12 ฿138

-40.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿601

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.6

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 $0.16

$0.93 ฿31.33

-82.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.84 $9.84

$52.9 ฿1,773

-81.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 $0.51

$1.18 ฿39.45

-56.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 $0.29

$0.17 ฿5.75

70.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 $2.94

$1.81 ฿60.8

62.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.08 $0.08

$1.47 ฿49.38

-94.56%

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

$49.7K $49.7K

$21.0K ฿704.5K

136.65%

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

$46.2K $46.2K

$26.5K ฿889.1K

74.25%

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

$13.19 $13.19

$62.6 ฿2,098

-78.92%

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

$1.54 $1.54

$11.60 ฿389

-86.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.82 $3.82

$20.30 ฿681

-81.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.34 $18.34

$37.88 ฿1,270

-51.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.21 $13.21

$3.70 ฿124

257.03%

Cinema Ticket

$2.03 $2.03

$6.51 ฿218

-68.82%

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

$106 $106

$727 ฿24.4K

-85.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,626 $2,626

$16.6K ฿555.7K

-84.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.29 $26.29

$53.5 ฿1,795

-50.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.94 $37.94

$24.80 ฿832

52.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 $115

$90.4 ฿3,031

27.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.2 $73.2

$72.0 ฿2,413

1.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$287 $287

$481 ฿16.1K

-40.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$209 $209

$310 ฿10.4K

-32.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$788 $788

$1,058 ฿35.5K

-25.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 $350

$659 ฿22.1K

-46.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,138 $1,138

$2,418 ฿81.1K

-52.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$546 $546

$1,609 ฿53.9K

-66.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.79

5.57

345.06%

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

Last update for Varamin: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varamin

$209 36.9%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 48% $100

Groceries & Markets

Varamin

$126 22.2%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 87.9% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Varamin

$114 20%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 4.6% $5.3

Eating Out

Varamin

$65 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 18.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Varamin

$22 4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 127% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varamin

$19 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 409% $76

Getting Around

Varamin

$12 2.2%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 371% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $287 in Varamin versus $481 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Varamin versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $126 vs $237 – making Varamin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Varamin

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:15 7:15 PM

22:45 10:45 PM

3 h 30 min ahead of Varamin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

225,628

127,240

💱 Currency

USD USD

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Varamin Chiang Mai 4,980 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Varamin
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 65% more than Varamin, 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 $851 per month in Varamin 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 Varamin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $287 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $106 per month in Varamin and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 88% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $567 in Varamin and $935 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Varamin – 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.

For expats, Varamin is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 39% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.