Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aja and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Aja: $434 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

21

Cost of Living Index in Aja
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Aja Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Aja

🇪🇬 Egypt

$434

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $434 per month in Aja vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Aja $434
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $700 per month in Aja vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Aja $700
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $966 per month in Aja vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Aja $966
Chiang Mai $1,903

Aja is about 53% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Aja and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Aja 68% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.89 E£217

$2.29 ฿77.2

69.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.29 E£853

$19.64 ฿663

-22.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 E£261

$5.61 ฿189

-16.76%

Cappuccino

$1.25 E£69.6

$1.66 ฿56.1

-24.70%

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

$0.32 E£17.97

$0.70 ฿23.61

-54.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 E£6.41

$0.31 ฿10.33

-64.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 E£73.4

$2.41 ฿81.1

-45.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 E£160

$3.71 ฿125

-22.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 E£44.55

$1.95 ฿65.9

-58.97%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 E£39.66

$1.41 ฿47.47

-49.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.62 E£34.70

$1.31 ฿44.03

-52.67%

Eggs

$1.21 E£67.4

$2.18 ฿73.6

-44.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.26 E£182

$16.65 ฿562

-80.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.01 E£223

$2.76 ฿93.0

45.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.95 E£443

$9.11 ฿307

-12.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.51 E£84.5

$2.39 ฿80.7

-36.82%

Banana (1kg)

$0.64 E£35.80

$1.03 ฿34.58

-37.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.49 E£27.13

$1.63 ฿54.9

-69.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.33 E£18.14

$1.50 ฿50.5

-78.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 E£19.13

$1.29 ฿43.53

-73.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.31 E£17.13

$1.11 ฿37.37

-72.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.25 E£13.88

$0.72 ฿24.30

-65.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.17 E£9.33

$0.53 ฿17.76

-67.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.92 E£107

$4.31 ฿145

-55.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 E£351

$17.95 ฿605

-64.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 E£68.7

$1.58 ฿53.4

-22.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 E£112

$2.84 ฿95.9

-28.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 E£11.12

$0.86 ฿29.13

-76.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,797

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.36 E£20.17

$1.21 ฿40.66

-70.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.16 E£9.19

$0.57 ฿19.16

-71.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 E£67.8

$2.35 ฿79.4

-48.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.46 E£25.42

$1.44 ฿48.40

-68.06%

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

$31.6K E£1.8M

$20.7K ฿699.2K

52.23%

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

$24.9K E£1.4M

$26.8K ฿904.0K

-7.26%

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

$14.99 E£836

$62.3 ฿2,102

-75.95%

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

$7.02 E£392

$12.11 ฿408

-42.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.55 E£756

$19.94 ฿673

-32.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.16 E£901

$37.07 ฿1,250

-56.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$2.78 E£155

$6.50 ฿219

-57.23%

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

$87.4 E£4,875

$793 ฿26.7K

-88.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,900 E£105.9K

$14.8K ฿499.5K

-87.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.08 E£953

$53.7 ฿1,813

-68.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.98 E£2,453

$24.62 ฿831

78.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 E£6,420

$90.9 ฿3,064

26.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.1 E£3,129

$71.1 ฿2,400

-21.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$131 E£7,287

$455 ฿15.4K

-71.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$77.0 E£4,294

$298 ฿10.0K

-74.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$255 E£14.2K

$908 ฿30.6K

-71.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$146 E£8,164

$554 ฿18.7K

-73.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$755 E£42.1K

$1,931 ฿65.1K

-60.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$347 E£19.3K

$1,445 ฿48.7K

-75.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

5.57

191.02%

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

Last update for Aja: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Aja

$119 27.3%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 98.7% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Aja

$105 24.1%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 3.5% $3.6

Accommodation & Living

Aja

$77 17.8%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 287% $221

Eating Out

Aja

$74 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 5.9% $4.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aja

$36 8.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 165% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Aja

$22 5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 130% $28

Getting Around

Aja

$2 * 0.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2970% $59

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $131 in Aja versus $455 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $15 in Aja versus $20 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $119 vs $235 – making Aja the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Aja

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:32 7:32 AM

11:32 11:32 AM

4 h ahead of Aja

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,013

127,240

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.57 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.84 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Aja Chiang Mai 6,860 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Aja
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 113% more than Aja, 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 $650 per month in Aja and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aja, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $131 there versus $455 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $434 in Aja and $925 in Chiang Mai. That’s a gap of about 113%.

Kindergarten costs $87 per month in Aja and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Aja, where all-in costs run around $434, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Aja it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Aja – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.