Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zahlah and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $985 in Zahlah, rent and utilities included – about $590 less a year. The total is higher in Zahlah despite lower rent and utilities.

47

Cost of Living Index in Zahlah
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Zahlah Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Zahlah

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$985

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $985 per month in Zahlah vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zahlah $985
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,588 per month in Zahlah vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zahlah $1,588
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,191 per month in Zahlah vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zahlah $2,191
Chiang Mai $1,979

Zahlah costs about 5% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Zahlah and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Zahlah 28% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.19 LBP 1.1M

$2.24 ฿75.6

444.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.8 LBP 6.2M

$19.00 ฿641

262.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.95 LBP 890.4K

$5.55 ฿187

79.28%

Cappuccino

$4.45 LBP 398.4K

$1.67 ฿56.5

166.47%

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

$2.29 LBP 204.9K

$0.64 ฿21.54

257.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 LBP 80.0K

$0.31 ฿10.31

187.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.13 LBP 459.4K

$2.36 ฿79.5

117.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 LBP 437.3K

$3.66 ฿124

33.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 LBP 173.0K

$1.95 ฿65.7

-1.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 LBP 80.7K

$1.44 ฿48.46

-37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 LBP 194.5K

$1.33 ฿45.03

63.16%

Eggs

$3.65 LBP 326.5K

$2.28 ฿77.1

60.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.13 LBP 996.0K

$16.45 ฿555

-32.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.40 LBP 930.4K

$2.78 ฿93.9

274.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.93 LBP 1.3M

$9.31 ฿314

60.37%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 LBP 272.8K

$2.35 ฿79.4

29.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 LBP 152.0K

$0.97 ฿32.79

75.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 LBP 144.1K

$1.60 ฿53.9

0.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 LBP 136.9K

$1.50 ฿50.6

2.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 LBP 108.5K

$1.28 ฿43.11

-5.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 LBP 139.6K

$1.10 ฿37.18

41.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 LBP 105.4K

$0.71 ฿23.82

66.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 LBP 61.3K

$0.49 ฿16.36

38.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 LBP 271.9K

$4.14 ฿140

-26.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.86 LBP 972.1K

$17.52 ฿591

-38.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 LBP 113.9K

$1.61 ฿54.5

-21.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 LBP 219.9K

$2.78 ฿93.9

-11.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 LBP 435.7K

$1.16 ฿39.04

319.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 LBP 196.9K

$0.53 ฿17.80

315.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.80 LBP 2.0M

$2.42 ฿81.7

842.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 LBP 94.5K

$1.45 ฿48.88

-26.90%

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

$53.3K LBP 4.8B

$21.1K ฿710.5K

153.16%

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

$33.3K LBP 3.0B

$26.9K ฿909.0K

23.49%

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

$215 LBP 19.3M

$62.2 ฿2,098

246.31%

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

$23.42 LBP 2.1M

$12.17 ฿411

92.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.29 LBP 3.4M

$20.12 ฿679

90.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 LBP 898.4K

$6.49 ฿219

54.70%

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

$691 LBP 61.8M

$736 ฿24.8K

-6.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K LBP 939.0M

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-28.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 LBP 5.9M

$53.4 ฿1,801

24.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.10 LBP 4.4M

$24.64 ฿831

99.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 LBP 12.5M

$91.5 ฿3,087

52.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 LBP 10.7M

$71.9 ฿2,427

66.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

97.49%

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

Last update for Zahlah: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zahlah

$277 28.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 65.9% $183

Groceries & Markets

Zahlah

$274 27.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 14.5% $40

Eating Out

Zahlah

$229 23.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 66.1% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Zahlah

$169 17.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 35.7% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Zahlah

$20 * 2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 151% $30

Getting Around

Zahlah

$16 * 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 287% $45

Accommodation & Living

Zahlah

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Zahlah versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $274 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Zahlah

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:45 2:45 PM

19:45 7:45 PM

5 h ahead of Zahlah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,145

127,240

💱 Currency

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD

100,000 LBP = 1 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to LBP – Lebanese Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇧 Lebanese Pound (ل.ل)

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,933 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to LBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zahlah Chiang Mai 6,410 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Zahlah
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

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

Zahlah costs about 5% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,477 per month in Zahlah and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $69 in Zahlah and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Zahlah, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $985 in Zahlah and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $985 in Zahlah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.