Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ar-rass and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,154 in Ar-rass, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Ar-rass
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Ar-rass Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ar-rass

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,154

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,154 in Ar-rass versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Ar-rass $1,154
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,690 in Ar-rass versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Ar-rass $1,690
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,226 in Ar-rass versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Ar-rass $2,226
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Ar-rass is roughly 23% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ar-rass 15% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.16 SAR 23.12

$2.26 ฿75.4

172.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.47 SAR 141

$19.18 ฿641

95.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.90 SAR 29.65

$5.59 ฿187

41.32%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 SAR 7.07

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 SAR 8.58

Cappuccino

$3.25 SAR 12.18

$1.72 ฿57.6

88.95%

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

$0.91 SAR 3.41

$0.64 ฿21.54

42.19%

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)

$1.81 SAR 6.81

$2.05 ฿68.6

-11.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.39 SAR 1.45

$1.40 ฿46.70

-72.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 SAR 7.19

$1.28 ฿42.89

50.00%

Eggs

$3.60 SAR 13.52

$2.25 ฿75.3

60.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.00 SAR 26.28

$16.94 ฿566

-58.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.05 SAR 30.20

$2.74 ฿91.6

193.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.79 SAR 47.99

$9.36 ฿313

36.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 SAR 8.41

$2.40 ฿80.3

-6.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 SAR 6.60

$1.01 ฿33.92

74.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 SAR 5.91

$1.61 ฿53.9

-2.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 SAR 5.89

$1.52 ฿50.7

3.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 SAR 4.37

$1.28 ฿42.90

-9.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 SAR 5.11

$1.11 ฿37.22

22.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 SAR 4.79

$0.72 ฿24.09

77.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 SAR 2.14

$0.52 ฿17.54

9.62%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.26 SAR 12.24

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 SAR 7.46

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 SAR 8.49

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.53 SAR 28.27

$4.33 ฿145

73.90%

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)

$0.98 SAR 3.69

$0.85 ฿28.31

15.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.39 SAR 129

$53.9 ฿1,801

-36.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 SAR 9.72

$1.17 ฿39.18

121.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.87 SAR 7.02

$0.57 ฿19.00

228.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.84 SAR 44.42

$2.37 ฿79.2

399.58%

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)

$43.1K SAR 161.7K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

110.52%

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

$20.9K SAR 78.3K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-21.35%

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

$110 SAR 414

$62.3 ฿2,083

76.91%

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

$23.87 SAR 89.6

$12.27 ฿410

94.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.0 SAR 221

$19.97 ฿668

195.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.88 SAR 168

$37.91 ฿1,267

18.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$13.43 SAR 50.4

$6.71 ฿224

100.15%

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

$425 SAR 1,595

$797 ฿26.6K

-46.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,688 SAR 32.6K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-41.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.84 SAR 161

$53.3 ฿1,780

-19.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.4 SAR 234

$25.05 ฿837

149.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 SAR 360

$91.6 ฿3,062

4.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.6 SAR 329

$73.5 ฿2,455

19.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$579 SAR 2,174

$464 ฿15.5K

24.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 SAR 1,480

$305 ฿10.2K

29.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 SAR 1,456

$915 ฿30.6K

-57.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$563 SAR 2,111

$552 ฿18.5K

1.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,625 SAR 9,851

$1,912 ฿63.9K

37.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,188 SAR 4,460

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-17.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,765 SAR 6,622

$595 ฿19.9K

196.51%

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 Ar-rass: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ar-rass

$394 34.2%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 22.7% $90

Groceries & Markets

Ar-rass

$198 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 20.3% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ar-rass

$193 16.7%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 51% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Ar-rass

$130 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 15.7% $20

Eating Out

Ar-rass

$117 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 32.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Ar-rass

$72 6.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 28.4% $20

Getting Around

Ar-rass

$50 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 22% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $579 in Ar-rass and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ar-rass pays 197% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $37.00 in Ar-rass vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $198 vs $238, with Ar-rass cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Ar-rass

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:27 5:27 PM

21:27 9:27 PM

4 h ahead of Ar-rass

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,359

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

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Between locations

Ar-rass Chiang Mai 5,720 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Ar-rass
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

Ar-rass vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ar-rass and Chiang Mai differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,154 vs $938 including rent). Chiang Mai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 197% higher in Ar-rass, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $579 in Ar-rass versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $425 in Ar-rass versus $797 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Ar-rass pay roughly 20% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,154 in Ar-rass, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Ar-rass. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ar-rass and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Ar-rass. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.