Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ar-rawdah and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,418 in Ar-rawdah, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

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

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ar-rawdah

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,418

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,418 in Ar-rawdah versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Ar-rawdah $1,418
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,339 in Ar-rawdah versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Ar-rawdah $2,339
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,260 in Ar-rawdah versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Ar-rawdah $3,260
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Ar-rawdah is roughly 52% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ar-rawdah is 4% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.71 KWD 3.92

$2.24 ฿75.6

467.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.8 KWD 19.98

$19.00 ฿641

241.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.04 KWD 2.78

$5.55 ฿187

62.88%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 KWD 0.98

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.92 KWD 1.52

Cappuccino

$5.06 KWD 1.56

$1.67 ฿56.5

202.99%

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

$0.74 KWD 0.23

$0.64 ฿21.53

15.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 KWD 0.10

$0.31 ฿10.30

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 KWD 0.48

$1.95 ฿65.7

-19.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 KWD 0.45

$1.44 ฿48.45

2.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 KWD 0.61

$1.33 ฿45.01

49.62%

Eggs

$2.11 KWD 0.65

$2.28 ฿77.0

-7.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.38 KWD 1.35

$16.45 ฿555

-73.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.72 KWD 2.07

$2.78 ฿93.8

141.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.38 KWD 3.20

$9.31 ฿314

11.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 KWD 0.76

$2.35 ฿79.4

5.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 KWD 0.59

$0.97 ฿32.78

97.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 KWD 0.58

$1.60 ฿53.9

16.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 KWD 0.48

$1.50 ฿50.6

3.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 KWD 0.41

$1.28 ฿43.10

3.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 KWD 0.44

$1.10 ฿37.17

30.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.29 KWD 0.71

$0.71 ฿23.81

222.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 KWD 0.18

$0.49 ฿16.36

16.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.26 KWD 1.00

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 KWD 0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 KWD 0.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.70 KWD 0.83

$4.14 ฿140

-34.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 KWD 0.22

$0.87 ฿29.29

-18.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.85 KWD 1.49

$1.16 ฿39.03

318.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.18 KWD 0.98

$0.53 ฿17.79

500.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.40 KWD 5.05

$2.42 ฿81.7

577.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.35 KWD 0.11

$1.45 ฿48.87

-75.86%

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

$23.6K KWD 7,284

$21.1K ฿710.3K

12.23%

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

$19.8K KWD 6,088

$26.9K ฿908.7K

-26.69%

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

$66.6 KWD 20.52

$62.2 ฿2,097

7.09%

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

$22.11 KWD 6.81

$12.17 ฿410

81.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.76 KWD 9.17

$20.12 ฿679

47.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$108 KWD 33.25

$37.31 ฿1,259

189.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$12.82 KWD 3.95

$6.49 ฿219

97.53%

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

$505 KWD 156

$736 ฿24.8K

-31.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,226 KWD 2,843

$14.8K ฿498.0K

-37.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.22 KWD 11.78

$53.4 ฿1,800

-28.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.68 KWD 12.23

$24.64 ฿831

61.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.8 KWD 29.84

$91.5 ฿3,086

5.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.4 KWD 27.55

$71.9 ฿2,426

24.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$795 KWD 245

$482 ฿16.3K

64.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$643 KWD 198

$309 ฿10.4K

108.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,611 KWD 496

$1,006 ฿33.9K

60.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,361 KWD 419

$633 ฿21.4K

114.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,605 KWD 495

$1,589 ฿53.6K

1.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.53

5.57

17.24%

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

Last update for Ar-rawdah: 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

Ar-rawdah

$643 45.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 52% $334

Eating Out

Ar-rawdah

$194 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 60% $116

Groceries & Markets

Ar-rawdah

$187 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 25.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Ar-rawdah

$134 9.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 62.3% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Ar-rawdah

$119 8.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 8.6% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ar-rawdah

$118 8.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 20.2% $24

Getting Around

Ar-rawdah

$24 * 1.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 160% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $795 in Ar-rawdah and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $65 in Ar-rawdah vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $187 vs $234, with Ar-rawdah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇰🇼 Ar-rawdah

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:15 5:15 PM

21:15 9:15 PM

4 h ahead of Ar-rawdah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 KWD = 3.24 USD

1 KWD = 2.91 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KWD – Kuwaiti Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇼 Kuwaiti Dinar (د.ك)

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.24 USD). 1 EUR = 0.344 KWD (1 KWD = 2.91 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ar-rawdah Chiang Mai 5,270 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Ar-rawdah. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,127 in Ar-rawdah and $1,403 in Chiang Mai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $795 in Ar-rawdah versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you’ll spend $1,418 per month in Ar-rawdah versus $936 in Chiang Mai – Chiang Mai is about 34% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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-rawdah and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.