Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ar-rustaq and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Ar-rustaq and in Chiang Mai: $953 and $936 a month, rent and utilities included.

46

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

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ar-rustaq

🇴🇲 Oman

$953

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $953 per month in Ar-rustaq vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ar-rustaq $953
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,432 per month in Ar-rustaq vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ar-rustaq $1,432
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,910 per month in Ar-rustaq vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ar-rustaq $1,910
Chiang Mai $1,979

Ar-rustaq costs about 2% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ar-rustaq and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Ar-rustaq 30% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.33 OMR 2.05

$2.24 ฿75.7

137.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.16 OMR 15.08

$19.00 ฿642

106.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.82 OMR 3.01

$5.55 ฿188

40.90%

Cappuccino

$5.21 OMR 2.01

$1.67 ฿56.6

211.98%

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

$0.84 OMR 0.32

$0.64 ฿21.56

31.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 OMR 0.10

$0.31 ฿10.32

-12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.78 OMR 4.92

$2.36 ฿79.6

441.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.19 OMR 5.08

$3.66 ฿124

260.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.39 OMR 0.92

$1.95 ฿65.8

22.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 OMR 0.46

$1.44 ฿48.51

-16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 OMR 0.75

$1.33 ฿45.07

46.62%

Eggs

$3.08 OMR 1.19

$2.28 ฿77.1

35.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.11 OMR 2.74

$16.45 ฿556

-56.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.96 OMR 2.68

$2.78 ฿94.0

150.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.14 OMR 3.90

$9.31 ฿314

8.92%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 OMR 1.35

$2.35 ฿79.5

49.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 OMR 0.78

$0.97 ฿32.82

109.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 OMR 0.92

$1.60 ฿53.9

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 OMR 0.49

$1.50 ฿50.7

-14.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 OMR 0.45

$1.28 ฿43.15

-8.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 OMR 0.47

$1.10 ฿37.22

10.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 OMR 0.72

$0.71 ฿23.84

161.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 OMR 0.26

$0.49 ฿16.38

38.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 OMR 2.56

$4.14 ฿140

60.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.55 OMR 5.99

$17.52 ฿592

-11.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.85 OMR 2.25

$1.61 ฿54.5

263.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.05 OMR 3.87

$2.78 ฿94.0

261.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 OMR 1.25

$1.16 ฿39.08

179.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.57 OMR 0.99

$0.53 ฿17.82

384.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.03 OMR 3.09

$2.42 ฿81.8

231.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.59 OMR 0.23

$1.45 ฿48.93

-59.31%

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

$25.4K OMR 9,784

$21.1K ฿711.2K

20.68%

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

$20.9K OMR 8,060

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-22.29%

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

$177 OMR 68.3

$62.2 ฿2,100

185.20%

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

$30.29 OMR 11.66

$12.17 ฿411

148.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.6 OMR 27.58

$20.12 ฿680

256.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$10.25 OMR 3.95

$6.49 ฿219

57.94%

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

$508 OMR 196

$736 ฿24.9K

-30.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K OMR 4,030

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-29.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 OMR 21.53

$53.4 ฿1,802

4.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.75 OMR 16.84

$24.64 ฿832

77.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.6 OMR 34.12

$91.5 ฿3,089

-3.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.4 OMR 33.26

$71.9 ฿2,429

20.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,358 OMR 1,678

$590 ฿19.9K

639.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

5.57

-5.75%

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

Last update for Ar-rustaq: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ar-rustaq

$290 30.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 19.3% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ar-rustaq

$279 29.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 66.2% $185

Eating Out

Ar-rustaq

$223 23.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 65.3% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Ar-rustaq

$124 13%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 12.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Ar-rustaq

$21 * 2.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 145% $30

Getting Around

Ar-rustaq

$16 * 1.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 281% $45

Accommodation & Living

Ar-rustaq

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Ar-rustaq are about 7.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Ar-rustaq versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Ar-rustaq

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:03 6:03 PM

21:03 9:03 PM

3 h ahead of Ar-rustaq

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.33 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to OMR – Omani Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇴🇲 Omani Rial (ر.ع.)

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.428 OMR (1 OMR = 2.33 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to OMR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ar-rustaq Chiang Mai 4,330 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Yes – Ar-rustaq is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,430 per month in Ar-rustaq and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $953 in Ar-rustaq and $936 in Chiang Mai. That’s a gap of about 2%.

Kindergarten costs $508 per month in Ar-rustaq 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 $953 in Ar-rustaq and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $953 in Ar-rustaq. 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, Ar-rustaq makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.