Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al `arish and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Al `arish: $427 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Al `arish
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Al `arish Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Al `arish

🇪🇬 Egypt

$427

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $427 in Al `arish versus $935 in Chiang Mai.

Al `arish $427
Chiang Mai $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $684 in Al `arish versus $1,467 in Chiang Mai.

Al `arish $684
Chiang Mai $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $940 in Al `arish versus $1,999 in Chiang Mai.

Al `arish $940
Chiang Mai $1,999

Living in Al `arish costs roughly 54% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Al `arish 68% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.81 E£211

$2.13 ฿72.0

78.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.41 E£797

$18.62 ฿628

-22.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.40 E£243

$5.60 ฿189

-21.43%

Cappuccino

$1.11 E£61.2

$1.66 ฿56.1

-33.13%

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

$0.32 E£17.94

$0.65 ฿21.83

-50.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 E£7.04

$0.30 ฿10.29

-56.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.36 E£75.3

$2.32 ฿78.4

-41.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 E£152

$3.67 ฿124

-25.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 E£44.01

$2.02 ฿68.0

-60.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.32 E£17.53

$1.41 ฿47.51

-77.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.61 E£33.93

$1.39 ฿46.96

-56.12%

Eggs

$1.27 E£70.3

$2.37 ฿79.9

-46.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.26 E£125

$16.52 ฿557

-86.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.37 E£186

$2.67 ฿90.1

26.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 E£410

$9.02 ฿304

-17.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 E£77.5

$2.40 ฿80.9

-41.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.56 E£30.97

$1.04 ฿35.13

-46.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.40 E£22.21

$1.66 ฿56.0

-75.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.33 E£17.98

$1.56 ฿52.6

-78.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.41 E£22.49

$1.24 ฿41.76

-66.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.43 E£23.64

$1.09 ฿36.66

-60.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.25 E£13.74

$0.76 ฿25.70

-67.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.19 E£10.36

$0.51 ฿17.35

-62.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.79 E£99.1

$4.12 ฿139

-56.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.40 E£243

$17.93 ฿605

-75.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 E£55.8

$1.62 ฿54.8

-37.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 E£85.2

$2.82 ฿95.2

-45.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 E£9.53

$0.93 ฿31.53

-81.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.28 E£15.64

$1.18 ฿39.70

-76.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 E£20.51

$0.17 ฿5.79

117.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 E£63.6

$1.81 ฿61.1

-36.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.40 E£22.08

$1.47 ฿49.69

-72.79%

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

$29.9K E£1.7M

$21.0K ฿708.9K

42.12%

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

$23.4K E£1.3M

$26.5K ฿894.6K

-11.91%

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

$14.23 E£787

$62.6 ฿2,111

-77.25%

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

$6.74 E£372

$11.60 ฿392

-41.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.26 E£1,286

$20.30 ฿685

14.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.12 E£836

$37.88 ฿1,278

-60.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$3.62 E£200

$6.51 ฿220

-44.39%

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

$79.4 E£4,388

$727 ฿24.5K

-89.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,230 E£123.3K

$16.6K ฿559.2K

-86.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$9.85 E£544

$53.5 ฿1,807

-81.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.67 E£2,414

$24.80 ฿837

76.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$149 E£8,211

$90.4 ฿3,050

64.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.4 E£2,844

$72.0 ฿2,428

-28.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$124 E£6,875

$481 ฿16.2K

-74.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$72.3 E£3,997

$310 ฿10.5K

-76.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$240 E£13.3K

$1,058 ฿35.7K

-77.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$137 E£7,569

$659 ฿22.2K

-79.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$713 E£39.4K

$2,418 ฿81.6K

-70.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$334 E£18.5K

$1,609 ฿54.3K

-79.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.5

5.57

303.95%

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

Last update for Al `arish: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Clothing & Footwear

Al `arish

$114 26.7%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 5% $5.7

Groceries & Markets

Al `arish

$100 23.5%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 136% $136

Accommodation & Living

Al `arish

$72 16.9%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 329% $238

Eating Out

Al `arish

$71 16.6%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 7.7% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al `arish

$44 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 114% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Al `arish

$22 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 128% $29

Getting Around

Al `arish

$2.8 * 0.7%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 1973% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $124 in Al `arish and $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $14 in Al `arish vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $100 vs $237 per month, with Al `arish cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Al `arish

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

02:55 2:55 AM

5 h ahead of Al `arish

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

199,243

127,240

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.81 USD

100 EGP = 1.62 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 55.29 EGP (100 EGP = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.83 EGP (100 EGP = 1.62 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Al `arish Chiang Mai 6,620 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Al `arish
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

Al `arish vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al `arish wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Al `arish the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $641 in Al `arish 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $124 in Al `arish versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 136% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $427 per month in Al `arish versus $935 in Chiang Mai – Al `arish is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $427 in Al `arish versus $935 in Chiang Mai, a $800 budget is realistic in Al `arish but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Al `arish the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.