Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashkelon and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,394 in Ashkelon, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Ashkelon
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Ashkelon Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ashkelon

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,394

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,394 in Ashkelon versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Ashkelon $2,394
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,551 in Ashkelon versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Ashkelon $3,551
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,708 in Ashkelon versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Ashkelon $4,708
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Ashkelon is roughly 155% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ashkelon is 77% above, Chiang Mai is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.07 ₪71.8

$2.26 ฿75.4

920.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.0 ₪252

$19.18 ฿641

322.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.60 ₪54.8

$5.59 ฿187

214.85%

Cappuccino

$4.58 ₪14.25

$1.72 ฿57.6

166.28%

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

$3.26 ₪10.15

$0.64 ฿21.54

409.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₪8.71

$0.33 ฿11.18

748.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.10 ₪37.63

$2.36 ฿78.7

412.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.69 ₪23.93

$3.90 ฿130

97.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.35 ₪7.32

$2.05 ฿68.6

14.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.68 ₪8.34

$1.40 ฿46.70

91.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 ₪9.35

$1.28 ฿42.89

135.16%

Eggs

$4.57 ₪14.21

$2.25 ฿75.3

103.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.56 ₪67.1

$16.94 ฿566

27.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.94 ₪40.26

$2.74 ฿91.6

372.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.38 ₪79.0

$9.36 ฿313

171.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 ₪12.86

$2.40 ฿80.3

72.08%

Banana (1kg)

$3.18 ₪9.91

$1.01 ฿33.92

214.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.27 ₪7.05

$1.61 ฿53.9

40.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.22 ₪10.03

$1.52 ฿50.7

111.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 ₪4.99

$1.28 ฿42.90

25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₪6.20

$1.11 ฿37.22

79.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.66 ₪8.27

$0.72 ฿24.09

269.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ₪2.93

$0.52 ฿17.54

80.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.77 ₪42.84

$4.33 ฿145

218.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.65 ₪36.23

$17.73 ฿593

-34.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 ₪8.02

$1.63 ฿54.4

58.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₪6.12

$2.85 ฿95.3

-30.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.53 ₪7.88

$0.85 ฿28.31

197.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.33 ₪138

$53.9 ฿1,801

-17.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.17 ₪34.76

$1.17 ฿39.18

854.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 ₪5.20

$0.57 ฿19.00

192.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.23 ₪122

$2.37 ฿79.2

1555.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.64 ₪8.20

$1.45 ฿48.32

82.07%

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

$57.8K ₪179.8K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

182.20%

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

$56.8K ₪176.7K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

114.27%

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

$214 ₪667

$62.3 ฿2,083

243.73%

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

$11.73 ₪36.49

$12.27 ฿410

-4.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.41 ₪129

$19.97 ฿668

107.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.93 ₪143

$37.91 ฿1,267

21.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$32.25 ₪100

$3.76 ฿126

757.71%

Cinema Ticket

$16.56 ₪51.5

$6.71 ฿224

146.80%

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

$1,220 ₪3,797

$797 ฿26.6K

53.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 ₪334

$53.3 ฿1,780

101.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$75.6 ₪235

$25.05 ฿837

201.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ₪352

$91.6 ฿3,062

23.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 ₪453

$73.5 ฿2,455

98.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,144 ₪3,560

$464 ฿15.5K

146.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$961 ₪2,989

$305 ฿10.2K

215.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,798 ₪5,595

$915 ฿30.6K

96.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 ₪4,575

$552 ฿18.5K

166.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,741 ₪17.9K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

200.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,602 ₪17.4K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

289.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,977 ₪9,263

$595 ฿19.9K

400.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.98

5.57

-10.59%

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

Last update for Ashkelon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ashkelon

$961 40.1%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 68.3% $656

Groceries & Markets

Ashkelon

$422 17.6%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 43.6% $184

Eating Out

Ashkelon

$392 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 79.9% $313

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashkelon

$267 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 64.6% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Ashkelon

$199 8.3%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 44.9% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Ashkelon

$79 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 35% $28

Getting Around

Ashkelon

$74 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 17.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,144 in Ashkelon and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashkelon pays 400% 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: $81.0 in Ashkelon vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $422 vs $238 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇱 Ashkelon

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:25 6:25 AM

10:25 10:25 AM

4 h ahead of Ashkelon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

152,439

127,240

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ILS – Israeli New Shekel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇱 Israeli New Shekel (₪)

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 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 ILS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ashkelon Chiang Mai 6,550 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Ashkelon
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

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

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 155% lower than in Ashkelon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 400% higher in Ashkelon, 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: $1,144 in Ashkelon versus $464 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 $19.00 versus $81.0 in Ashkelon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,394 per month in Ashkelon versus $938 in Chiang Mai – a 155% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $2,394 in Ashkelon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Ashkelon. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chiang Mai delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $938 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chiang Mai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ashkelon 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 155% less than in Ashkelon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.