Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arar and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,185 in Arar, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Arar
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Arar Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Arar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,185

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,185 per month in Arar vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arar $1,185
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,820 per month in Arar vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arar $1,820
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,454 per month in Arar vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arar $2,454
Chiang Mai $1,999

Arar costs about 27% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Arar and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Arar 12% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.45 SAR 27.97

$2.13 ฿72.0

249.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.32 SAR 129

$18.62 ฿628

84.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 SAR 25.77

$5.60 ฿189

22.68%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 SAR 6.58

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 SAR 8.92

Cappuccino

$3.04 SAR 11.39

$1.66 ฿56.1

83.13%

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

$0.81 SAR 3.04

$0.65 ฿21.82

24.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 SAR 0.91

$0.30 ฿10.29

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 SAR 5.76

$2.02 ฿68.0

-24.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 SAR 5.22

$1.41 ฿47.49

-1.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 SAR 8.47

$1.39 ฿46.94

62.59%

Eggs

$2.28 SAR 8.54

$2.37 ฿79.9

-3.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.95 SAR 29.85

$16.52 ฿557

-51.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.74 SAR 32.81

$2.67 ฿90.1

227.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.35 SAR 50.1

$9.02 ฿304

48.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.43 SAR 9.12

$2.40 ฿80.9

1.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 SAR 6.67

$1.04 ฿35.12

71.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 SAR 6.50

$1.66 ฿56.0

4.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 SAR 5.22

$1.56 ฿52.6

-10.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 SAR 4.98

$1.24 ฿41.75

7.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 SAR 5.38

$1.09 ฿36.65

31.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 SAR 5.06

$0.76 ฿25.70

77.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 SAR 2.02

$0.51 ฿17.34

5.88%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.18 SAR 11.93

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 SAR 6.97

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 SAR 7.21

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.47 SAR 28.04

$4.12 ฿139

81.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 SAR 4.21

$0.93 ฿31.52

20.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.17 SAR 155

$52.9 ฿1,784

-22.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.75 SAR 10.31

$1.18 ฿39.69

133.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 SAR 5.57

$0.17 ฿5.78

770.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.41 SAR 50.3

$1.81 ฿61.1

640.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.68 SAR 2.56

$1.47 ฿49.67

-53.74%

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

$29.6K SAR 111.2K

$21.0K ฿708.7K

41.00%

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

$23.2K SAR 87.2K

$26.5K ฿894.4K

-12.42%

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

$111 SAR 416

$62.6 ฿2,110

77.22%

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

$28.89 SAR 108

$11.60 ฿391

149.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.5 SAR 227

$20.30 ฿685

197.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.8 SAR 277

$37.88 ฿1,278

94.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$13.55 SAR 50.9

$6.51 ฿220

108.14%

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

$394 SAR 1,481

$727 ฿24.5K

-45.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K SAR 39.4K

$16.6K ฿559.0K

-36.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.59 SAR 149

$53.5 ฿1,806

-26.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.1 SAR 188

$24.80 ฿836

101.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 SAR 413

$90.4 ฿3,049

21.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 SAR 282

$72.0 ฿2,428

4.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$627 SAR 2,355

$481 ฿16.2K

30.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 SAR 1,400

$310 ฿10.5K

20.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$812 SAR 3,048

$1,058 ฿35.7K

-23.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$701 SAR 2,632

$659 ฿22.2K

6.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,731 SAR 6,496

$2,418 ฿81.5K

-28.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,161 SAR 4,356

$1,609 ฿54.3K

-27.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

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 Arar: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arar

$373 31.5%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 16.9% $63

Groceries & Markets

Arar

$210 17.8%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 12.5% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arar

$200 16.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 52.8% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Arar

$124 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 12.4% $15

Eating Out

Arar

$121 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 36.6% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Arar

$101 8.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 49.6% $50

Getting Around

Arar

$56 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 5.1% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $627 in Arar versus $481 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Arar versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $210 in Arar vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Arar wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Arar

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:01 1:01 PM

17:01 5:01 PM

4 h ahead of Arar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

167,057

127,240

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.238 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Arar Chiang Mai 5,940 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Arar
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,185 in Arar, $935 in Chiang Mai – Chiang Mai comes out roughly 21% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,777 per month in Arar and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $627 in Arar.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Arar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $394 per month in Arar and $727 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 $1,185 in Arar and $935 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,185 in Arar. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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