Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-qardahah and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-qardahah: $642 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Al-qardahah, Syria
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Al-qardahah
🇸🇾 Syria
$642
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$935
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $642 per month in Al-qardahah vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Al-qardahah $642
  • Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,016 per month in Al-qardahah vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Al-qardahah $1,016
  • Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,390 per month in Al-qardahah vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Al-qardahah $1,390
  • Chiang Mai $1,999

Al-qardahah is about 31% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Al-qardahah and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Al-qardahah 52% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Al-qardahah
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.06 SYP 1,222
$2.13 ฿71.8
372.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.56 SYP 5,173
$18.62 ฿626
128.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.89 SYP 838
$5.60 ฿188
23.04%
Cappuccino
$3.64 SYP 442
$1.66 ฿55.9
119.28%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.23 SYP 272
$0.65 ฿21.75
243.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.86 SYP 105
$0.30 ฿10.25
186.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.94 SYP 236
$2.32 ฿78.1
-16.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.90 SYP 475
$3.67 ฿123
6.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Al-qardahah
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.05 SYP 128
$2.02 ฿67.8
-48.02%
White Bread (500g)
$0.45 SYP 54.3
$1.41 ฿47.34
-68.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.61 SYP 196
$1.39 ฿46.79
15.83%
Eggs
$1.57 SYP 191
$2.37 ฿79.6
-33.76%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.98 SYP 484
$16.52 ฿555
-75.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.56 SYP 676
$2.67 ฿89.8
108.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.71 SYP 1,666
$9.02 ฿303
52.00%
Apples (1kg)
$1.03 SYP 126
$2.40 ฿80.6
-57.08%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 SYP 168
$1.04 ฿35.01
32.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.14 SYP 138
$1.66 ฿55.8
-31.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.07 SYP 130
$1.56 ฿52.4
-31.41%
Potato (1kg)
$0.79 SYP 95.6
$1.24 ฿41.61
-36.29%
Onion (1kg)
$0.76 SYP 91.9
$1.09 ฿36.53
-30.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.44 SYP 53.5
$0.76 ฿25.61
-42.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.66 SYP 80.1
$0.51 ฿17.29
29.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.71 SYP 329
$4.12 ฿139
-34.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.94 SYP 600
$17.93 ฿603
-72.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 SYP 140
$1.62 ฿54.6
-29.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 SYP 342
$2.82 ฿94.9
-0.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Al-qardahah
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.93 ฿31.42
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$52.9 ฿1,778
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.99 SYP 120
$1.18 ฿39.56
-16.10%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 SYP 181
$0.17 ฿5.76
776.47%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.80 SYP 948
$1.81 ฿60.9
330.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$3.63 SYP 441
$1.47 ฿49.51
146.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$15.0K SYP 1.8M
$21.0K ฿706.4K
-28.55%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.3K SYP 2.4M
$26.5K ฿891.4K
-27.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Al-qardahah
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$142 SYP 17.2K
$62.6 ฿2,103
126.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.67 SYP 1,175
$11.60 ฿390
-16.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$45.85 SYP 5,573
$20.30 ฿683
125.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Al-qardahah
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$37.88 ฿1,274
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.70 ฿124
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.56 SYP 675
$6.51 ฿219
-14.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Al-qardahah
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$66.9 SYP 8,131
$727 ฿24.4K
-90.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,770 SYP 215.2K
$16.6K ฿557.2K
-89.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Al-qardahah
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$28.37 SYP 3,448
$53.5 ฿1,800
-47.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.44 SYP 4,794
$24.80 ฿834
59.03%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$61.0 SYP 7,409
$90.4 ฿3,039
-32.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$57.8 SYP 7,023
$72.0 ฿2,420
-19.72%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Al-qardahah
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$481 ฿16.2K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$310 ฿10.4K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,058 ฿35.6K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$659 ฿22.1K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,418 ฿81.3K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,609 ฿54.1K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Al-qardahah
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$595 ฿20.0K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
14.25
5.57
155.83%

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

Last update for Al-qardahah: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Al-qardahah
$197
Chiang Mai
$94 52.1% $103
Eating Out
Al-qardahah
$175
Chiang Mai
$77 56.2% $98
Groceries & Markets
Al-qardahah
$167
Chiang Mai
$237 41.9% $70
Clothing & Footwear
Al-qardahah
$84
Chiang Mai
$108 29% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Al-qardahah
$11 *
Chiang Mai
$51 358% $40
Getting Around
Al-qardahah
$8.4 *
Chiang Mai
$59 597% $50
Accommodation & Living
Al-qardahah
- *
Chiang Mai
$310

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 $43 in Al-qardahah versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $167 in Al-qardahah vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Al-qardahah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇸🇾 Al-qardahah
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
17:38 5:38 PM
21:38 9:38 PM
4 h ahead of Al-qardahah
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SYP – Syrian Pound Converter

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 136 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.34 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Al-qardahah Chiang Mai 6,390 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Al-qardahah
  • 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-qardahah vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Al-qardahah cheaper than Chiang Mai?
Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $963 per month in Al-qardahah and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Is eating out cheaper in Al-qardahah or in Chiang Mai?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Al-qardahah and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Al-qardahah and in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 42% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is it better to live in Al-qardahah or in Chiang Mai?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $642 in Al-qardahah to $935 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Al-qardahah vs other spots: cost of living compared

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