Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between As Salt and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in As Salt: $687 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in As Salt
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As Salt Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

As Salt

🇯🇴 Jordan

$687

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $687 in As Salt versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

As Salt $687
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,084 in As Salt versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

As Salt $1,084
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,482 in As Salt versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

As Salt $1,482
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in As Salt costs roughly 27% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: As Salt 50% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.86 JOD 3.44

$2.24 ฿75.6

116.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.46 JOD 15.20

$19.00 ฿641

12.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.01 JOD 4.96

$5.55 ฿187

26.31%

Cappuccino

$2.15 JOD 1.52

$1.67 ฿56.5

28.74%

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

$0.38 JOD 0.27

$0.64 ฿21.55

-40.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 JOD 0.21

$0.31 ฿10.31

-6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.66 JOD 4.01

$2.36 ฿79.6

139.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.29 JOD 3.04

$3.66 ฿124

17.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 JOD 0.88

$1.95 ฿65.8

-36.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.29 JOD 0.20

$1.44 ฿48.48

-79.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 JOD 1.09

$1.33 ฿45.04

15.79%

Eggs

$1.70 JOD 1.20

$2.28 ฿77.1

-25.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.63 JOD 3.28

$16.45 ฿555

-71.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.39 JOD 2.40

$2.78 ฿93.9

21.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.45 JOD 8.82

$9.31 ฿314

33.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.56 JOD 1.10

$2.35 ฿79.4

-33.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 JOD 1.04

$0.97 ฿32.80

51.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 JOD 1.01

$1.60 ฿53.9

-10.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 JOD 0.55

$1.50 ฿50.6

-48.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 JOD 0.56

$1.28 ฿43.12

-38.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.56 JOD 0.39

$1.10 ฿37.19

-49.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 JOD 0.34

$0.71 ฿23.82

-32.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 JOD 0.41

$0.49 ฿16.37

18.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 JOD 2.55

$4.14 ฿140

-13.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.07 JOD 9.96

$17.52 ฿591

-19.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.33 JOD 3.07

$1.61 ฿54.5

168.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.14 JOD 3.64

$2.78 ฿94.0

84.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 JOD 0.61

$0.87 ฿29.31

-1.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.50 JOD 20.18

$54.1 ฿1,826

-47.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 JOD 0.42

$1.16 ฿39.06

-49.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 JOD 1.02

$0.53 ฿17.80

171.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.95 JOD 4.92

$2.42 ฿81.8

187.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 JOD 0.96

$1.45 ฿48.90

-6.21%

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

$21.2K JOD 15.0K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

0.85%

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

$24.9K JOD 17.6K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-7.48%

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

$35.00 JOD 24.78

$62.2 ฿2,098

-43.70%

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

$11.18 JOD 7.92

$12.17 ฿411

-8.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.31 JOD 10.13

$20.12 ฿679

-28.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.58 JOD 20.24

$37.31 ฿1,259

-23.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.32 JOD 25.01

$3.77 ฿127

836.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.07 JOD 5.00

$6.49 ฿219

8.94%

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

$143 JOD 101

$736 ฿24.8K

-80.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,419 JOD 5,960

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-42.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.15 JOD 17.81

$53.4 ฿1,801

-52.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.81 JOD 35.27

$24.64 ฿831

102.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.64 JOD 34.44

$91.5 ฿3,087

-46.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$28.38 JOD 20.10

$71.9 ฿2,428

-60.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$142 JOD 101

$482 ฿16.3K

-70.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$155 JOD 110

$309 ฿10.4K

-49.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$244 JOD 173

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-75.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$286 JOD 202

$633 ฿21.4K

-54.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$561 JOD 397

$590 ฿19.9K

-4.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.94

5.57

24.60%

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

Last update for As Salt: 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

As Salt

$195 28.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 20.2% $39

Accommodation & Living

As Salt

$155 22.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 99.3% $154

Eating Out

As Salt

$125 18.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 38% $48

Clothing & Footwear

As Salt

$68 10%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 58.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

As Salt

$60 8.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 56.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

As Salt

$43 6.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 17.7% $7.6

Getting Around

As Salt

$40 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 54.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $142 in As Salt and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 5% 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: $21 in As Salt vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $195 vs $234, with As Salt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇯🇴 As Salt

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:15 5:15 PM

21:15 9:15 PM

4 h ahead of As Salt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

107,874

127,240

💱 Currency

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.27 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.79 JOD (1 JOD = 1.27 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to JOD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

As Salt Chiang Mai 6,430 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

As Salt
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

As Salt vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

As Salt wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making As Salt the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in As Salt. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $142 in As Salt versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $21 in As Salt. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $687 per month in As Salt versus $936 in Chiang Mai – As Salt is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $687 in As Salt versus $936 in Chiang Mai, a $800 budget is realistic in As Salt but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes As Salt 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, As Salt and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – As Salt wins on affordability, Chiang Mai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.