Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between AL Kharj and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in AL Kharj and in Chiang Mai: $961 and $936 a month, rent and utilities included.

46

Cost of Living Index in AL Kharj
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AL Kharj Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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AL Kharj

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$961

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $961 per month in AL Kharj vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

AL Kharj $961
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,464 per month in AL Kharj vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

AL Kharj $1,464
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,966 per month in AL Kharj vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

AL Kharj $1,966
Chiang Mai $1,979

AL Kharj costs about 3% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both AL Kharj and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – AL Kharj 29% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.79 SAR 17.99

$2.24 ฿75.7

113.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.43 SAR 99.2

$19.00 ฿642

39.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.14 SAR 30.56

$5.55 ฿188

46.67%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 SAR 8.11

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 SAR 4.93

Cappuccino

$3.06 SAR 11.49

$1.67 ฿56.6

83.23%

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

$0.85 SAR 3.21

$0.64 ฿21.56

32.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 SAR 0.44

$0.31 ฿10.32

-61.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 SAR 5.58

$1.95 ฿65.8

-23.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.28 SAR 1.06

$1.44 ฿48.51

-80.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 SAR 9.17

$1.33 ฿45.07

83.46%

Eggs

$2.12 SAR 7.95

$2.28 ฿77.1

-7.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 SAR 38.95

$16.45 ฿556

-36.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.95 SAR 18.59

$2.78 ฿94.0

78.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 SAR 49.13

$9.31 ฿314

40.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 SAR 6.43

$2.35 ฿79.5

-27.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 SAR 5.15

$0.97 ฿32.82

41.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 SAR 4.60

$1.60 ฿53.9

-23.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 SAR 5.18

$1.50 ฿50.7

-8.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 SAR 3.97

$1.28 ฿43.15

-17.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 SAR 3.94

$1.10 ฿37.22

-4.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 SAR 2.05

$0.71 ฿23.84

-22.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.02

$0.49 ฿16.38

10.20%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.20 SAR 8.26

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 SAR 9.28

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.45 SAR 24.21

$4.14 ฿140

55.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.07 SAR 86.6

$54.1 ฿1,827

-57.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 SAR 9.97

$1.16 ฿39.08

129.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 SAR 1.90

$0.53 ฿17.82

-3.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.22 SAR 49.59

$2.42 ฿81.8

446.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 SAR 2.27

$1.45 ฿48.93

-57.93%

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

$26.6K SAR 100.0K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

26.54%

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

$22.5K SAR 84.3K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-16.58%

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

$107 SAR 400

$62.2 ฿2,100

71.51%

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

$26.42 SAR 99.1

$12.17 ฿411

117.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.6 SAR 190

$20.12 ฿680

151.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.4 SAR 272

$37.31 ฿1,260

93.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.69 SAR 153

$3.77 ฿127

979.31%

Cinema Ticket

$13.41 SAR 50.3

$6.49 ฿219

106.63%

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

$289 SAR 1,084

$736 ฿24.9K

-60.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,810 SAR 14.3K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-74.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 SAR 216

$53.4 ฿1,802

7.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.4 SAR 197

$24.64 ฿832

112.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.60 SAR 175

$91.5 ฿3,089

-49.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.9 SAR 296

$71.9 ฿2,429

9.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$692 SAR 2,597

$482 ฿16.3K

43.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 SAR 1,002

$309 ฿10.4K

-13.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$590 SAR 2,214

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-41.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 SAR 1,729

$633 ฿21.4K

-27.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,793 SAR 10.5K

$590 ฿19.9K

373.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

5.57

-0.54%

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

Last update for AL Kharj: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

AL Kharj

$267 27.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 15.7% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

AL Kharj

$184 19.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 48.6% $89

Groceries & Markets

AL Kharj

$174 18.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 35% $61

Clothing & Footwear

AL Kharj

$106 11%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 2.6% $2.7

Eating Out

AL Kharj

$103 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 25% $26

Sport & Entertainment

AL Kharj

$99 10.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 49.3% $49

Getting Around

AL Kharj

$28 * 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 117% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $692 in AL Kharj versus $482 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 AL Kharj are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in AL Kharj versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $174 in AL Kharj vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so AL Kharj wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 AL Kharj

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:28 7:28 PM

23:28 11:28 PM

4 h ahead of AL Kharj

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

425,300

127,240

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

AL Kharj Chiang Mai 5,350 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

AL Kharj
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 Kharj vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $961 in AL Kharj, $936 in Chiang Mai – roughly 3% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,442 per month in AL Kharj 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $692 in AL Kharj.

Kindergarten costs $289 per month in AL Kharj and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 26% cheaper in AL Kharj – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $961 in AL Kharj and $936 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 $936 in Chiang Mai to $961 in AL Kharj. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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