Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-Ula and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,184 in Al-Ula, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Al-Ula
Learn more

Al-Ula Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Al-Ula

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,184

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,184 per month in Al-Ula vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Al-Ula $1,184
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,757 per month in Al-Ula vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Al-Ula $1,757
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,330 per month in Al-Ula vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Al-Ula $2,330
Chiang Mai $1,914

Al-Ula costs about 26% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Al-Ula and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Al-Ula 12% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.11 SAR 22.91

$2.26 ฿75.4

170.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.80 SAR 138

$19.18 ฿641

91.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.96 SAR 29.87

$5.59 ฿187

42.40%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 SAR 7.08

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 SAR 8.62

Cappuccino

$3.17 SAR 11.89

$1.72 ฿57.6

84.30%

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

$0.86 SAR 3.24

$0.64 ฿21.54

34.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 SAR 0.98

$0.33 ฿11.18

-21.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 SAR 6.52

$2.05 ฿68.6

-15.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 SAR 4.75

$1.40 ฿46.70

-9.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 SAR 8.62

$1.28 ฿42.89

79.69%

Eggs

$2.32 SAR 8.72

$2.25 ฿75.3

3.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 SAR 27.75

$16.94 ฿566

-56.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.07 SAR 30.27

$2.74 ฿91.6

194.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 SAR 47.54

$9.36 ฿313

35.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 SAR 8.45

$2.40 ฿80.3

-6.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 SAR 6.60

$1.01 ฿33.92

74.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 SAR 5.94

$1.61 ฿53.9

-1.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 SAR 5.89

$1.52 ฿50.7

3.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 SAR 4.61

$1.28 ฿42.90

-3.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 SAR 4.79

$1.11 ฿37.22

15.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 SAR 4.58

$0.72 ฿24.09

69.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.02

$0.52 ฿17.54

3.85%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.86 SAR 10.71

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 SAR 7.91

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.74 SAR 25.28

$4.33 ฿145

55.66%

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)

$1.09 SAR 4.08

$0.85 ฿28.31

28.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.77 SAR 138

$53.9 ฿1,801

-31.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.61 SAR 9.80

$1.17 ฿39.18

123.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 SAR 6.95

$0.57 ฿19.00

224.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.14 SAR 49.29

$2.37 ฿79.2

454.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.44

$1.45 ฿48.32

-55.17%

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

$44.0K SAR 165.2K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

115.03%

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

$21.3K SAR 79.9K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-19.66%

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

$106 SAR 397

$62.3 ฿2,083

69.93%

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

$33.21 SAR 125

$12.27 ฿410

170.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.8 SAR 247

$19.97 ฿668

229.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.4 SAR 309

$37.91 ฿1,267

117.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$13.33 SAR 50.0

$6.71 ฿224

98.66%

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

$425 SAR 1,596

$797 ฿26.6K

-46.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,102 SAR 30.4K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-45.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.74 SAR 160

$53.3 ฿1,780

-19.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 SAR 208

$25.05 ฿837

121.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 SAR 361

$91.6 ฿3,062

4.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 SAR 329

$73.5 ฿2,455

19.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 SAR 2,162

$464 ฿15.5K

24.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 SAR 1,397

$305 ฿10.2K

22.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 SAR 3,121

$915 ฿30.6K

-9.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$572 SAR 2,147

$552 ฿18.5K

3.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,323 SAR 8,718

$1,912 ฿63.9K

21.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,382 SAR 5,187

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-3.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

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-Ula: October 11, 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-Ula

$372 31.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 18.2% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-Ula

$205 17.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 53.8% $110

Groceries & Markets

Al-Ula

$203 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 17.5% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Al-Ula

$127 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 13.7% $17

Eating Out

Al-Ula

$115 9.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 31.5% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Al-Ula

$109 9.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 52.9% $58

Getting Around

Al-Ula

$53 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 15.7% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $576 in Al-Ula versus $464 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Al-Ula versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $203 in Al-Ula vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Al-Ula wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Al-Ula

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

15:49 3:49 PM

4 h ahead of Al-Ula

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,413

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Al-Ula Chiang Mai 6,270 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,184 in Al-Ula, $938 in Chiang Mai – roughly 26% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,776 per month in Al-Ula and $1,408 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $425 per month in Al-Ula and $797 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 17% cheaper in Al-Ula – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Al-Ula at $1,184. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Al-Ula it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $938 in Chiang Mai to $1,184 in Al-Ula. 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-Ula makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.