Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aqaba and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Aqaba and in Chiang Mai: $916 and $925 a month, rent and utilities included.

44

Cost of Living Index in Aqaba
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Aqaba Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Aqaba

🇯🇴 Jordan

$916

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $916 per month in Aqaba vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Aqaba $916
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,499 per month in Aqaba vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Aqaba $1,499
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,082 per month in Aqaba vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Aqaba $2,082
Chiang Mai $1,903

Aqaba is about 1% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.84 JOD 2.01

$2.29 ฿76.5

24.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 JOD 50.3

$19.64 ฿656

261.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.17 JOD 2.95

$5.61 ฿188

-25.67%

Cappuccino

$4.45 JOD 3.15

$1.66 ฿55.6

168.07%

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

$0.65 JOD 0.46

$0.70 ฿23.40

-7.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 JOD 0.40

$0.31 ฿10.24

80.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.51 JOD 6.02

$2.41 ฿80.4

253.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.14 JOD 7.89

$3.71 ฿124

200.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 JOD 1.02

$1.95 ฿65.3

-26.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.47 JOD 0.34

$1.41 ฿47.03

-66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 JOD 1.12

$1.31 ฿43.62

20.61%

Eggs

$1.67 JOD 1.18

$2.18 ฿72.9

-23.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.65 JOD 4.00

$16.65 ฿556

-66.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.16 JOD 2.94

$2.76 ฿92.2

50.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 JOD 7.08

$9.11 ฿304

9.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 JOD 0.97

$2.39 ฿80.0

-42.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 JOD 0.98

$1.03 ฿34.26

33.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 JOD 0.74

$1.63 ฿54.4

-36.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.73 JOD 0.52

$1.50 ฿50.0

-51.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 JOD 0.52

$1.29 ฿43.13

-43.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 JOD 0.48

$1.11 ฿37.03

-38.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 JOD 0.46

$0.72 ฿24.08

-11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 JOD 0.38

$0.53 ฿17.59

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.98 JOD 2.81

$4.31 ฿144

-7.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.26 JOD 12.22

$17.95 ฿600

-3.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 JOD 1.96

$1.58 ฿52.9

75.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 JOD 1.78

$2.84 ฿95.0

-11.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 JOD 0.36

$1.21 ฿40.29

-57.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 JOD 0.98

$0.57 ฿18.99

143.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.01 JOD 4.96

$2.35 ฿78.6

198.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 JOD 1.06

$1.44 ฿47.96

3.47%

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

$31.5K JOD 22.3K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

52.06%

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

$31.6K JOD 22.4K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

18.00%

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

$130 JOD 92.0

$62.3 ฿2,083

108.57%

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

$15.70 JOD 11.12

$12.11 ฿405

29.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.64 JOD 23.11

$19.94 ฿666

63.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.2 JOD 45.42

$37.07 ฿1,239

73.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$11.32 JOD 8.02

$6.50 ฿217

74.15%

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

$491 JOD 347

$793 ฿26.5K

-38.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,816 JOD 1,994

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-80.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.86 JOD 19.72

$53.7 ฿1,796

-48.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.45 JOD 30.06

$24.62 ฿823

72.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$41.64 JOD 29.48

$90.9 ฿3,036

-54.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.6 JOD 49.97

$71.1 ฿2,378

-0.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$283 JOD 200

$455 ฿15.2K

-37.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 JOD 152

$298 ฿9,954

-28.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$682 JOD 483

$908 ฿30.4K

-24.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$452 JOD 320

$554 ฿18.5K

-18.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,128 JOD 798

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-41.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$566 JOD 401

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-60.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$555 JOD 393

$591 ฿19.7K

-6.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

5.57

22.26%

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

Last update for Aqaba: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aqaba

$214 23.4%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 39% $83

Groceries & Markets

Aqaba

$189 20.6%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 24.7% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aqaba

$178 19.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 47.1% $84

Eating Out

Aqaba

$158 17.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 50.4% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Aqaba

$87 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 42.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Aqaba

$82 9%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 31.7% $26

Getting Around

Aqaba

$7.4 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 717% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $283 in Aqaba versus $455 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 6% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $71.0 in Aqaba versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $189 in Aqaba vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Aqaba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇴 Aqaba

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

17:51 5:51 PM

4 h ahead of Aqaba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,000

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 = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.796 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JOD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Aqaba Chiang Mai 6,520 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Aqaba
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

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

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,374 per month in Aqaba and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aqaba, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $916 in Aqaba and $925 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 1%.

Kindergarten costs $491 per month in Aqaba and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Aqaba, where all-in costs run around $916, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Aqaba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Aqaba – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Aqaba. 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.