Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-hawiyah and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,081 in Al-hawiyah, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Al-hawiyah
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Al-hawiyah Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Al-hawiyah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,081

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,081 in Al-hawiyah versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Al-hawiyah $1,081
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,603 in Al-hawiyah versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Al-hawiyah $1,603
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,125 in Al-hawiyah versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Al-hawiyah $2,125
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Al-hawiyah is roughly 15% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Al-hawiyah 20% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.44 SAR 16.67

$2.26 ฿75.4

96.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.52 SAR 99.5

$19.18 ฿641

38.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.91 SAR 25.93

$5.59 ฿187

23.61%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 SAR 5.91

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 SAR 5.64

Cappuccino

$2.63 SAR 9.88

$1.72 ฿57.6

52.91%

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

$0.70 SAR 2.63

$0.64 ฿21.54

9.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 SAR 0.94

$0.33 ฿11.18

-24.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 SAR 6.85

$2.05 ฿68.6

-10.73%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 SAR 3.60

$1.40 ฿46.70

-31.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 SAR 8.25

$1.28 ฿42.89

71.88%

Eggs

$2.68 SAR 10.04

$2.25 ฿75.3

19.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.85 SAR 21.94

$16.94 ฿566

-65.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 SAR 43.90

$2.74 ฿91.6

327.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.12 SAR 49.22

$9.36 ฿313

40.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 SAR 7.64

$2.40 ฿80.3

-15.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.92

$1.01 ฿33.92

56.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 SAR 6.88

$1.61 ฿53.9

13.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 SAR 5.60

$1.52 ฿50.7

-1.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 SAR 4.87

$1.28 ฿42.90

1.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 SAR 5.63

$1.11 ฿37.22

35.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 SAR 4.09

$0.72 ฿24.09

51.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 SAR 2.77

$0.52 ฿17.54

42.31%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.99 SAR 11.21

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 SAR 7.87

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 SAR 5.88

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.00 SAR 30.02

$4.33 ฿145

84.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 SAR 4.13

$0.85 ฿28.31

29.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.82 SAR 138

$53.9 ฿1,801

-31.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.44 SAR 9.15

$1.17 ฿39.18

108.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.69 SAR 10.10

$0.57 ฿19.00

371.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.24 SAR 49.67

$2.37 ฿79.2

458.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 SAR 2.23

$1.45 ฿48.32

-59.31%

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

$43.9K SAR 164.7K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

114.30%

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

$21.5K SAR 80.8K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-18.76%

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

$67.1 SAR 252

$62.3 ฿2,083

7.64%

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

$35.32 SAR 133

$12.27 ฿410

187.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.5 SAR 235

$19.97 ฿668

213.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.6 SAR 302

$37.91 ฿1,267

112.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$15.09 SAR 56.6

$6.71 ฿224

124.89%

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

$423 SAR 1,586

$797 ฿26.6K

-46.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,864 SAR 29.5K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-46.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.09 SAR 49.11

$53.3 ฿1,780

-75.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.8 SAR 209

$25.05 ฿837

122.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$40.45 SAR 152

$91.6 ฿3,062

-55.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.5 SAR 197

$73.5 ฿2,455

-28.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 SAR 2,162

$464 ฿15.5K

24.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 SAR 1,375

$305 ฿10.2K

20.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 SAR 3,098

$915 ฿30.6K

-9.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$577 SAR 2,166

$552 ฿18.5K

4.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,404 SAR 9,023

$1,912 ฿63.9K

25.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,375 SAR 5,158

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-4.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

5.57

-5.75%

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

Last update for Al-hawiyah: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al-hawiyah

$366 33.9%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 16.9% $62

Groceries & Markets

Al-hawiyah

$217 20.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 9.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-hawiyah

$165 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 42.7% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Al-hawiyah

$111 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 53.6% $59

Eating Out

Al-hawiyah

$92 8.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 13.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Al-hawiyah

$73 6.7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 50.4% $37

Getting Around

Al-hawiyah

$57 5.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 7.4% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $576 in Al-hawiyah and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27.00 in Al-hawiyah vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $217 vs $238, with Al-hawiyah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al-hawiyah

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:16 3:16 AM

07:16 7:16 AM

4 h ahead of Al-hawiyah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

148,151

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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Al-hawiyah Chiang Mai 6,080 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Al-hawiyah and Chiang Mai differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,081 vs $938 including rent). Chiang Mai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,621 in Al-hawiyah and $1,408 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: $576 in Al-hawiyah versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $27.00 in Al-hawiyah. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,081 per month in Al-hawiyah versus $938 in Chiang Mai – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,081 in Al-hawiyah, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Al-hawiyah. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai 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.

Safety-wise, Al-hawiyah 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.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Al-hawiyah. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.