Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Mahwit and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Mahwit: $761 a month against $906 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Al Mahwit
🇾🇪 Yemen
$761
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$906
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $761 per month in Al Mahwit vs $906 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Al Mahwit $761
  • Chiang Mai $906

A couple spends around $1,197 per month in Al Mahwit vs $1,385 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Al Mahwit $1,197
  • Chiang Mai $1,385

A family of three spends $1,634 per month in Al Mahwit vs $1,864 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Al Mahwit $1,634
  • Chiang Mai $1,864

Al Mahwit is about 16% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Al Mahwit and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Al Mahwit 43% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Al Mahwit
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.23 YER 1,469
$2.13 ฿71.4
192.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$25.53 YER 6,022
$19.40 ฿650
31.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.47 YER 2,233
$5.47 ฿183
73.13%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.94 YER 459
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.58 YER 609
-
-
Cappuccino
$3.64 YER 859
$1.68 ฿56.5
116.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.17 YER 275
$0.66 ฿22.11
77.27%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.55 YER 130
$0.34 ฿11.52
61.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.42 ฿81.1
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.73 ฿125
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Al Mahwit
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.07 YER 488
$2.06 ฿69.0
0.49%
White Bread (500g)
$1.63 YER 384
$1.46 ฿48.81
11.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.98 YER 466
$1.35 ฿45.11
46.67%
Eggs
$3.58 YER 845
$2.27 ฿76.0
57.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.97 YER 4,003
$16.31 ฿547
4.05%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.17 YER 1,927
$2.70 ฿90.4
202.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.64 YER 4,396
$9.20 ฿308
102.61%
Apples (1kg)
$3.31 YER 782
$2.39 ฿80.2
38.49%
Banana (1kg)
$1.05 YER 248
$1.04 ฿34.68
0.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.17 YER 512
$1.60 ฿53.7
35.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.67 YER 394
$1.44 ฿48.39
15.97%
Potato (1kg)
$1.47 YER 346
$1.30 ฿43.62
13.08%
Onion (1kg)
$1.37 YER 323
$1.11 ฿37.32
23.42%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.26 YER 298
$0.70 ฿23.57
80.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.68 YER 162
$0.51 ฿17.00
33.33%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$2.48 YER 585
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.86 YER 440
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.50 YER 590
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.58 YER 1,316
$4.13 ฿138
35.11%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$17.78 ฿596
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.63 ฿54.7
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.87 ฿96.1
-
🚌 Getting Around
Al Mahwit
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.86 ฿28.77
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$53.2 ฿1,781
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.19 YER 989
$1.22 ฿40.84
243.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.15 YER 508
$0.56 ฿18.82
283.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.19 YER 1,696
$2.31 ฿77.5
211.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.14 YER 505
$1.50 ฿50.2
42.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.2K YER 4.1M
$20.9K ฿698.7K
-17.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.5K YER 8.1M
$26.7K ฿895.6K
28.88%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Al Mahwit
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$108 YER 25.4K
$61.3 ฿2,052
75.63%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.33 YER 5,503
$12.50 ฿419
86.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$103 YER 24.3K
$20.36 ฿682
405.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Al Mahwit
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$37.94 ฿1,271
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.77 ฿126
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.76 YER 1,359
$6.60 ฿221
-12.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Al Mahwit
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$115 YER 27.1K
$774 ฿25.9K
-85.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,173 YER 512.7K
$14.4K ฿483.5K
-84.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Al Mahwit
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.19 YER 9,951
$54.8 ฿1,836
-23.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$121 YER 28.6K
$25.26 ฿846
379.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$48.73 YER 11.5K
$90.6 ฿3,034
-46.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$40.93 YER 9,656
$73.3 ฿2,454
-44.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Al Mahwit
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$459 ฿15.4K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$294 ฿9,841
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$919 ฿30.8K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$552 ฿18.5K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$1,917 ฿64.2K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,445 ฿48.4K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Al Mahwit
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$592 ฿19.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.25
5.57
101.97%

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

Last update for Al Mahwit: October 6, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Al Mahwit
$267
Chiang Mai
$236 11.7% $31
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Al Mahwit
$234
Chiang Mai
$94 59.8% $140
Eating Out
Al Mahwit
$129
Chiang Mai
$77 40% $52
Clothing & Footwear
Al Mahwit
$114
Chiang Mai
$110 3.6% $4
Getting Around
Al Mahwit
$15 *
Chiang Mai
$61 305% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Al Mahwit
$12 *
Chiang Mai
$51 344% $40
Accommodation & Living
Al Mahwit
- *
Chiang Mai
$294

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26.00 in Al Mahwit versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $236 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇾🇪 Al Mahwit
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
04:44 4:44 AM
08:44 8:44 AM
4 h ahead of Al Mahwit
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
12,817
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to YER – Yemeni Rial Converter

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 264 YER (1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 33.5 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Al Mahwit Chiang Mai 5,880 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Al Mahwit
  • 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 Mahwit vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Chiang Mai cheaper than Al Mahwit?
Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,142 per month in Al Mahwit and $1,359 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What are total monthly expenses in Al Mahwit and in Chiang Mai?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $761 in Al Mahwit and $906 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 19%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $115 per month in Al Mahwit and $774 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Al Mahwit or in Chiang Mai?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Al Mahwit, where all-in costs run around $761, than in Chiang Mai at $906. In Al Mahwit it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Al Mahwit or Chiang Mai more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Al Mahwit – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Al Mahwit or Chiang Mai?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Al Mahwit. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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