Beirut vs Chiang Mai
💰
Chiang Mai saves you $500/month
📶
Chiang Mai has 3x faster internet
🌡️
Mediterranean vs Tropical Monsoon climate
🛂
Thailand offers a digital nomad visa
💰 Cost of Living Breakdown
Monthly expenses comparison in USD
Expense
Beirut
Chiang Mai
Total Budget
$1,500/mo
$1,000/mo ✓
Rent (1BR)
$800/mo
$350/mo ✓
Coworking
$190/mo
$120/mo ✓
Meal Out
$10
$3 ✓
Coffee
$3
$2.5 ✓
Chiang Mai is $500/mo cheaper (50% savings)
💻 Remote Work Essentials
Internet, timezone, and language comparison
🌍 Beirut
📶 Internet25 Mbps
🕐 TimezoneUTC+2
🗣️ Englishmedium
🛂 Nomad VisaNot available
Working hours overlap:
🇺🇸 US West1h
🇺🇸 US East4h
🇬🇧 London8h
🇩🇪 Berlin8h
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
📶 Internet75 Mbps
🕐 TimezoneUTC+7
🗣️ Englishmedium
🛂 Nomad VisaAvailable
Working hours overlap:
🇺🇸 US West0h
🇺🇸 US East0h
🇬🇧 London4h
🇩🇪 Berlin5h
🌡️ Climate Comparison
Weather patterns and best times to visit
Beirut
ClimateMediterranean
Avg Temp21°C
Rainy Days72/year
Best months: July, May, June, September
Chiang Mai
ClimateTropical Monsoon
Avg Temp26°C
Rainy Days175/year
Best months: March, April, January, February
Quarterly Temperatures
Jan
15°22°
Apr
19°30°
Jul
29°27°
Oct
24°26°
BeirutChiang Mai
📊 Full Comparison
Category
🌍Beirut
🇹🇭Chiang Mai
💰
Monthly Budget
$1,500
$1,000
Winner📶
Internet Speed
25 Mbps
75 Mbps
Winner🛡️
Safety
2.5/5
4.3/5
Winner⭐
Nomad Score
3.2/10
4.7/10
Winner🍽️
Food Scene
9/10
9/10
🎉
Nightlife
7/10
7/10
🚶
Walkability
6/10
6/10
👥
Community
small
very large
Winner0
Beirut wins
vs
5
Chiang Mai wins
Which City is Right for You?
Recommendations based on your nomad style
💵Budget Nomad
Chiang Mai
$500/mo cheaper with similar quality of life
💻Developer
Chiang Mai
75 Mbps is essential for video calls & uploads
🦋Social Butterfly
Chiang Mai
Larger nomad community for networking
🛡️Safety-First
Chiang Mai
Significantly higher safety rating
🍜Foodie
Either works
Both have great food scenes
🎉Party Person
Either works
Both have great nightlife
🌍Beirut
Pros
- +Rich Mediterranean culture with layers of history, nightlife and café culture in a compact city
- +Lower everyday costs than many European capitals for food, rent and going out (in USD terms)
- +Strong café scene with many laptop-friendly spots in Gemmayze, Mar Mikhael and Hamra
- +Several modern coworking hubs such as BDD, antwork and Berytech with fast, prioritised internet
Cons
- −Ongoing economic and political crises with frequent electricity cuts and fuel issues; most places rely on private generators and solar
- −Security situation and regional tensions mean many governments issue strong travel advisories for Lebanon
- −Internet speeds are lower than global averages and can drop during power rationing, especially outside premium spaces
- −Currency volatility and dual pricing (USD vs local Lira) can make budgeting confusing for newcomers
🇹🇭Chiang Mai
Pros
- +Very affordable cost of living ($600-1,200/month)
- +Large digital nomad community
- +Excellent coworking spaces (Punspace, CAMP)
- +Amazing Thai food everywhere
Cons
- −Air quality issues (Mar-Apr burning season)
- −Very hot and humid (Mar-May)
- −Heavy rainy season (Jun-Oct)
- −Limited international flights