Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ait Melloul and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Ait Melloul: $693 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ait Melloul, Morocco
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Ait Melloul
🇲🇦 Morocco
$693
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $693 in Ait Melloul versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

  • Ait Melloul $693
  • Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,042 in Ait Melloul versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

  • Ait Melloul $1,042
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,392 in Ait Melloul versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

  • Ait Melloul $1,392
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Ait Melloul costs roughly 26% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ait Melloul 49% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ait Melloul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.88 MAD 38.21
$2.24 ฿75.6
73.21%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$25.49 MAD 251
$19.00 ฿641
34.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.07 MAD 59.8
$5.55 ฿187
9.37%
Cappuccino
$2.17 MAD 21.38
$1.67 ฿56.5
29.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 MAD 8.63
$0.64 ฿21.54
37.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 MAD 3.61
$0.31 ฿10.31
19.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.18 MAD 51.0
$2.36 ฿79.5
119.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 MAD 43.18
$3.66 ฿124
19.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ait Melloul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.80 MAD 7.83
$1.95 ฿65.7
-58.97%
White Bread (500g)
$0.50 MAD 4.91
$1.44 ฿48.46
-65.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.49 MAD 14.63
$1.33 ฿45.03
12.03%
Eggs
$1.68 MAD 16.57
$2.28 ฿77.1
-26.32%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.62 MAD 75.1
$16.45 ฿555
-53.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.28 MAD 52.0
$2.78 ฿93.9
89.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.44 MAD 113
$9.31 ฿314
22.88%
Apples (1kg)
$1.29 MAD 12.70
$2.35 ฿79.4
-45.11%
Banana (1kg)
$1.13 MAD 11.12
$0.97 ฿32.79
16.49%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.90 MAD 8.90
$1.60 ฿53.9
-43.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.77 MAD 7.63
$1.50 ฿50.6
-48.67%
Potato (1kg)
$0.71 MAD 6.99
$1.28 ฿43.11
-44.53%
Onion (1kg)
$0.75 MAD 7.42
$1.10 ฿37.18
-31.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.25 MAD 2.47
$0.71 ฿23.82
-64.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 MAD 5.32
$0.49 ฿16.36
10.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.12 MAD 40.59
$4.14 ฿140
-0.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.52 MAD 74.1
$17.52 ฿591
-57.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.30 MAD 22.64
$1.61 ฿54.5
42.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.36 MAD 33.08
$2.78 ฿93.9
20.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Ait Melloul
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.42 MAD 4.13
$0.87 ฿29.30
-51.72%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.47 MAD 192
$54.1 ฿1,825
-64.00%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.64 MAD 6.31
$1.16 ฿39.04
-44.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.63 MAD 6.24
$0.53 ฿17.80
18.87%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.15 MAD 70.5
$2.42 ฿81.7
195.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 MAD 14.48
$1.45 ฿48.88
1.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K MAD 300.8K
$21.1K ฿710.5K
45.02%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.9K MAD 304.3K
$26.9K ฿909.0K
14.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ait Melloul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$24.05 MAD 237
$62.2 ฿2,098
-61.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.97 MAD 88.4
$12.17 ฿411
-26.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.86 MAD 284
$20.12 ฿679
43.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ait Melloul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$22.95 MAD 226
$37.31 ฿1,259
-38.49%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.46 MAD 231
$3.77 ฿127
522.28%
Cinema Ticket
$5.14 MAD 50.7
$6.49 ฿219
-20.80%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ait Melloul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$68.6 MAD 676
$736 ฿24.8K
-90.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,845 MAD 18.2K
$14.8K ฿498.2K
-87.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ait Melloul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$31.19 MAD 307
$53.4 ฿1,801
-41.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.82 MAD 432
$24.64 ฿831
77.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$57.7 MAD 568
$91.5 ฿3,087
-36.98%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$46.44 MAD 457
$71.9 ฿2,427
-35.45%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ait Melloul
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$284 MAD 2,798
$482 ฿16.3K
-41.10%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$203 MAD 2,000
$309 ฿10.4K
-34.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$436 MAD 4,295
$1,006 ฿33.9K
-56.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$259 MAD 2,550
$633 ฿21.4K
-59.14%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,153 MAD 11.4K
$2,363 ฿79.7K
-51.21%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$812 MAD 8,000
$1,589 ฿53.6K
-48.89%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ait Melloul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$590 ฿19.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.5
5.57
-19.21%

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

Last update for Ait Melloul: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ait Melloul
$203
Chiang Mai
$309 52.2% $106
Groceries & Markets
Ait Melloul
$174
Chiang Mai
$234 34.5% $60
Eating Out
Ait Melloul
$115
Chiang Mai
$78 32.5% $37
Clothing & Footwear
Ait Melloul
$81
Chiang Mai
$109 34.8% $28
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ait Melloul
$62
Chiang Mai
$94 52.7% $33
Sport & Entertainment
Ait Melloul
$33
Chiang Mai
$50 51.3% $17
Getting Around
Ait Melloul
$25
Chiang Mai
$61 146% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $284 in Ait Melloul and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $25 in Ait Melloul vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $174 vs $234, with Ait Melloul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇲🇦 Ait Melloul
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
23:05 11:05 PM
06:05 6:05 AM
7 h ahead of Ait Melloul
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
171,847
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MAD – Moroccan Dirham Converter

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 9.85 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.98 MAD (100 MAD = 9.11 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ait Melloul Chiang Mai 10,620 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ait Melloul
  • 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
Ait Melloul vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ait Melloul cheaper than Chiang Mai?
Ait Melloul is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. The 35% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $1,039 in Ait Melloul and $1,403 in Chiang Mai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Ait Melloul and Chiang Mai?
Rent for a central apartment: $284 in Ait Melloul versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $69 in Ait Melloul versus $736 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Ait Melloul and in Chiang Mai?
Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is it better to live in Ait Melloul or in Chiang Mai?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Which city is safer, Ait Melloul or Chiang Mai?
Safety-wise, Ait Melloul and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

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