Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zaltan and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaltan: $369 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Zaltan

🇱🇾 Libya

$369

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $369 per month in Zaltan vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zaltan $369
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $570 per month in Zaltan vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zaltan $570
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $770 per month in Zaltan vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zaltan $770
Chiang Mai $1,999

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.82 LYD 24.42

$2.13 ฿71.4

79.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.55 LYD 99.3

$18.62 ฿623

-16.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.59 LYD 16.54

$5.60 ฿187

-53.75%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.65 LYD 4.14

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 LYD 4.31

Cappuccino

$0.47 LYD 3.03

$1.66 ฿55.6

-71.69%

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

$0.42 LYD 2.68

$0.65 ฿21.63

-35.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.10 LYD 0.67

$0.30 ฿10.20

-66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 LYD 6.17

$2.02 ฿67.4

-51.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.20 LYD 1.27

$1.41 ฿47.08

-85.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 LYD 7.75

$1.39 ฿46.54

-12.95%

Eggs

$1.41 LYD 9.01

$2.37 ฿79.2

-40.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.10 LYD 32.59

$16.52 ฿552

-69.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 LYD 22.01

$2.67 ฿89.3

29.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.15 LYD 58.4

$9.02 ฿302

1.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 LYD 14.34

$2.40 ฿80.2

-6.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 LYD 9.47

$1.04 ฿34.82

42.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.69 LYD 4.43

$1.66 ฿55.5

-58.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 LYD 3.53

$1.56 ฿52.1

-64.74%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 LYD 4.85

$1.24 ฿41.39

-38.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 LYD 2.93

$1.09 ฿36.34

-57.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 LYD 2.54

$0.76 ฿25.47

-47.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.18 LYD 1.17

$0.51 ฿17.19

-64.71%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.82 LYD 11.64

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 LYD 5.95

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 LYD 4.92

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.89 LYD 12.08

$4.12 ฿138

-54.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 LYD 4.75

$1.18 ฿39.35

-37.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 LYD 3.15

$0.17 ฿5.73

188.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.02 LYD 0.13

$1.47 ฿49.25

-98.64%

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

$23.0K LYD 147.0K

$21.0K ฿702.6K

9.57%

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

$21.4K LYD 136.8K

$26.5K ฿886.7K

-19.18%

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

$95.2 LYD 608

$62.6 ฿2,092

52.11%

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

$6.02 LYD 38.44

$11.60 ฿388

-48.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.40 LYD 175

$20.30 ฿679

34.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

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

$52.2 LYD 333

$727 ฿24.3K

-92.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,552 LYD 9,909

$16.6K ฿554.2K

-90.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.01 LYD 147

$53.5 ฿1,790

-57.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.51 LYD 112

$24.80 ฿829

-29.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.1 LYD 403

$90.4 ฿3,023

-30.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.6 LYD 419

$72.0 ฿2,407

-8.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Zaltan: 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

Zaltan

–

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Groceries & Markets

Zaltan

–

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Clothing & Footwear

Zaltan

–

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zaltan

–

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Eating Out

Zaltan

–

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Getting Around

Zaltan

–

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Sport & Entertainment

Zaltan

–

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Zaltan versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $115 vs $237 – making Zaltan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇾 Zaltan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:54 2:54 PM

19:54 7:54 PM

5 h ahead of Zaltan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 LYD = 0.157 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to LYD – Libyan Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇾 Libyan Dinar (ل.د)

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 6.39 LYD (1 LYD = 0.157 USD). 1 EUR = 7.17 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to LYD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zaltan Chiang Mai 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Zaltan
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 154% more than Zaltan, 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 $553 per month in Zaltan 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 $16 in Zaltan 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 106% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $369 in Zaltan and $935 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $369 in Zaltan to $935 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.