Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abha and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,049 in Abha, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Abha despite lower rent and utilities.

51

Cost of Living Index in Abha
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Abha Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Abha

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,049

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,049 per month in Abha vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Abha $1,049
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,747 per month in Abha vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Abha $1,747
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,444 per month in Abha vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Abha $2,444
Chiang Mai $1,999

Abha costs about 12% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Abha and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Abha 22% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.18 SAR 19.45

$2.13 ฿71.4

143.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.7 SAR 190

$18.62 ฿623

172.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.22 SAR 27.09

$5.60 ฿187

28.93%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.64 SAR 6.14

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 SAR 4.90

Cappuccino

$3.11 SAR 11.67

$1.66 ฿55.6

87.35%

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

$0.63 SAR 2.38

$0.65 ฿21.63

-3.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 SAR 0.82

$0.30 ฿10.20

-26.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 SAR 6.10

$2.02 ฿67.4

-19.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.64 SAR 2.39

$1.41 ฿47.08

-54.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 SAR 7.38

$1.39 ฿46.54

41.73%

Eggs

$3.10 SAR 11.65

$2.37 ฿79.2

30.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.33 SAR 16.27

$16.52 ฿552

-73.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.59 SAR 28.47

$2.67 ฿89.3

184.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.40 SAR 69.1

$9.02 ฿302

103.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 SAR 7.82

$2.40 ฿80.2

-13.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 SAR 7.27

$1.04 ฿34.82

86.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 SAR 6.14

$1.66 ฿55.5

-1.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 SAR 6.05

$1.56 ฿52.1

3.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 SAR 8.18

$1.24 ฿41.39

75.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 SAR 4.72

$1.09 ฿36.34

15.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 SAR 1.27

$0.76 ฿25.47

-55.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 SAR 1.93

$0.51 ฿17.19

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.40 SAR 16.53

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 SAR 4.61

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 SAR 5.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.12 SAR 34.21

$4.12 ฿138

121.36%

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)

$0.85 SAR 3.20

$0.93 ฿31.25

-8.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.06 SAR 139

$52.9 ฿1,769

-29.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 SAR 11.22

$1.18 ฿39.35

153.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.63 SAR 9.87

$0.17 ฿5.73

1447.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.25 SAR 53.5

$1.81 ฿60.6

687.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 SAR 2.22

$1.47 ฿49.25

-59.86%

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

$28.7K SAR 107.7K

$21.0K ฿702.6K

36.53%

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

$19.0K SAR 71.5K

$26.5K ฿886.7K

-28.17%

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

$86.9 SAR 326

$62.6 ฿2,092

38.89%

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

$36.53 SAR 137

$11.60 ฿388

214.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.9 SAR 285

$20.30 ฿679

274.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.5 SAR 343

$37.88 ฿1,267

141.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.46 SAR 171

$3.70 ฿124

1128.65%

Cinema Ticket

$15.73 SAR 59.1

$6.51 ฿218

141.63%

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

$211 SAR 792

$727 ฿24.3K

-70.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,216 SAR 15.8K

$16.6K ฿554.2K

-74.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.04 SAR 113

$53.5 ฿1,790

-43.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.8 SAR 262

$24.80 ฿829

181.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.3 SAR 361

$90.4 ฿3,023

6.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.0 SAR 251

$72.0 ฿2,407

-6.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$305 SAR 1,144

$481 ฿16.1K

-36.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$246 SAR 923

$310 ฿10.4K

-20.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$541 SAR 2,030

$1,058 ฿35.4K

-48.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$570 SAR 2,140

$659 ฿22.0K

-13.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$935 SAR 3,511

$2,418 ฿80.8K

-61.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,334 SAR 5,008

$1,609 ฿53.8K

-17.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,239 SAR 8,402

$595 ฿19.9K

276.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.72%

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

Last update for Abha: 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

Abha

$246 23.5%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 26% $64

Groceries & Markets

Abha

$202 19.3%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 17% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abha

$199 19%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 52.6% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Abha

$123 11.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 58.6% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Abha

$118 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 8.5% $10

Eating Out

Abha

$104 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 26.3% $27

Getting Around

Abha

$57 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 3.6% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $305 in Abha 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.

Salaries in Abha are about 3.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51 in Abha versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $202 in Abha vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Abha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Abha

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:25 8:25 AM

12:25 12:25 PM

4 h ahead of Abha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

236,157

127,240

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Abha Chiang Mai 5,930 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Abha
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

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

Abha costs about 12% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,574 per month in Abha 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 Abha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $305 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Interestingly, groceries are about 15% cheaper in Abha – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51 in Abha and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,049 in Abha and $935 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,049 in Abha. 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.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Abha makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.