Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amman and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,209 in Amman, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Amman
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Amman Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Amman

🇯🇴 Jordan

$1,209

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,209 per month in Amman vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Amman $1,209
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,904 per month in Amman vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Amman $1,904
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,599 per month in Amman vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Amman $2,599
Chiang Mai $1,979

Amman costs about 29% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Amman and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Amman 11% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.10 JOD 5.03

$2.24 ฿75.6

216.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.3 JOD 50.5

$19.00 ฿641

275.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.06 JOD 5.00

$5.55 ฿187

27.21%

Cappuccino

$4.41 JOD 3.12

$1.67 ฿56.5

164.07%

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

$0.64 JOD 0.45

$0.64 ฿21.54

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 JOD 0.38

$0.31 ฿10.31

74.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.61 JOD 6.10

$2.36 ฿79.5

264.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.14 JOD 7.89

$3.66 ฿124

204.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 JOD 1.14

$1.95 ฿65.7

-17.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 JOD 0.47

$1.44 ฿48.46

-54.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 JOD 1.08

$1.33 ฿45.03

15.04%

Eggs

$2.32 JOD 1.64

$2.28 ฿77.1

1.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.21 JOD 6.52

$16.45 ฿555

-44.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.32 JOD 4.47

$2.78 ฿93.9

127.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 JOD 8.97

$9.31 ฿314

36.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 JOD 1.78

$2.35 ฿79.4

6.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 JOD 1.46

$0.97 ฿32.79

113.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 JOD 1.29

$1.60 ฿53.9

13.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 JOD 0.54

$1.50 ฿50.6

-48.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 JOD 0.67

$1.28 ฿43.11

-26.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 JOD 0.56

$1.10 ฿37.18

-28.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 JOD 0.44

$0.71 ฿23.82

-12.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 JOD 0.50

$0.49 ฿16.36

42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.85 JOD 2.72

$4.14 ฿140

-7.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.48 JOD 15.21

$17.52 ฿591

22.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.05 JOD 3.58

$1.61 ฿54.5

213.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 JOD 3.60

$2.78 ฿93.9

83.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 JOD 0.58

$0.87 ฿29.30

-5.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.82 JOD 30.32

$54.1 ฿1,825

-20.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 JOD 0.42

$1.16 ฿39.04

-48.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 JOD 1.02

$0.53 ฿17.80

169.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.13 JOD 5.05

$2.42 ฿81.7

194.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 JOD 1.24

$1.45 ฿48.88

21.38%

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

$32.3K JOD 22.9K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

53.45%

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

$33.9K JOD 24.0K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

25.88%

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

$136 JOD 96.6

$62.2 ฿2,098

119.51%

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

$15.46 JOD 10.94

$12.17 ฿411

27.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.99 JOD 22.65

$20.12 ฿679

59.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.3 JOD 38.44

$37.31 ฿1,259

45.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.57 JOD 23.76

$3.77 ฿127

790.45%

Cinema Ticket

$11.25 JOD 7.96

$6.49 ฿219

73.34%

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

$551 JOD 390

$736 ฿24.8K

-25.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,387 JOD 6,646

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-36.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.1 JOD 43.99

$53.4 ฿1,801

16.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$81.7 JOD 57.9

$24.64 ฿831

231.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 JOD 90.8

$91.5 ฿3,087

40.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.2 JOD 58.2

$71.9 ฿2,427

14.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 JOD 371

$482 ฿16.3K

8.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 JOD 191

$309 ฿10.4K

-12.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$777 JOD 550

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-22.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 JOD 303

$633 ฿21.4K

-32.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,542 JOD 1,092

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-34.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,010 JOD 715

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-36.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$740 JOD 524

$590 ฿19.9K

25.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.94

5.57

24.60%

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

Last update for Amman: 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

Amman

$269 22.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 14.7% $39

Groceries & Markets

Amman

$265 21.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 11.6% $31

Eating Out

Amman

$201 16.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 61.4% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amman

$184 15.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 48.6% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Amman

$159 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 31.8% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Amman

$77 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 34.5% $27

Getting Around

Amman

$54 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 13.9% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $524 in Amman 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 run about 25% higher in Amman, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Amman versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $265 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇴 Amman

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:04 8:04 PM

00:04 12:04 AM

4 h ahead of Amman

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,000,000 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to JOD – Jordanian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇴 Jordanian Dinar (د.ا)

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.791 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to JOD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Amman Chiang Mai 6,420 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Amman
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

Amman vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Amman costs about 29% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,814 per month in Amman and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $524 in Amman and $482 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 21% less in Amman. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $551 per month in Amman and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,209 in Amman and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,209 in Amman. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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