Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $635 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$635

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $635 per month in Cairo vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cairo $635
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,010 per month in Cairo vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cairo $1,010
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,385 per month in Cairo vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cairo $1,385
Chiang Mai $1,903

Cairo is about 31% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cairo and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 53% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.63 E£247

$2.29 ฿76.5

102.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.66 E£1,477

$19.64 ฿656

40.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 E£311

$5.61 ฿188

3.92%

Cappuccino

$1.69 E£90.1

$1.66 ฿55.6

1.81%

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

$0.35 E£18.79

$0.70 ฿23.40

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 E£6.86

$0.31 ฿10.24

-58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 E£78.3

$2.41 ฿80.4

-39.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 E£118

$3.71 ฿124

-40.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 E£50.5

$1.95 ฿65.3

-51.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 E£41.96

$1.41 ฿47.03

-43.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.70 E£37.41

$1.31 ฿43.62

-46.56%

Eggs

$1.12 E£59.5

$2.18 ฿72.9

-48.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.08 E£218

$16.65 ฿556

-75.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.77 E£255

$2.76 ฿92.2

72.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.81 E£470

$9.11 ฿304

-3.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 E£89.7

$2.39 ฿80.0

-29.71%

Banana (1kg)

$0.71 E£38.07

$1.03 ฿34.26

-31.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.59 E£31.31

$1.63 ฿54.4

-63.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 E£27.06

$1.50 ฿50.0

-66.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.37 E£19.81

$1.29 ฿43.13

-71.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 E£23.47

$1.11 ฿37.03

-60.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.34 E£18.37

$0.72 ฿24.08

-52.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.21 E£11.16

$0.53 ฿17.59

-60.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 E£106

$4.31 ฿144

-53.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.49 E£400

$17.95 ฿600

-58.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 E£80.4

$1.58 ฿52.9

-4.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 E£111

$2.84 ฿95.0

-26.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 E£18.29

$0.86 ฿28.86

-60.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.31 E£444

$53.3 ฿1,780

-84.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 E£21.48

$1.21 ฿40.29

-66.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 E£9.99

$0.57 ฿18.99

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.50 E£80.0

$2.35 ฿78.6

-36.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.45 E£23.77

$1.44 ฿47.96

-68.75%

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

$33.1K E£1.8M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

59.74%

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

$26.1K E£1.4M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-2.45%

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

$27.62 E£1,475

$62.3 ฿2,083

-55.69%

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

$7.83 E£418

$12.11 ฿405

-35.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.39 E£769

$19.94 ฿666

-27.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.62 E£1,528

$37.07 ฿1,239

-22.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.47 E£399

$3.78 ฿126

97.62%

Cinema Ticket

$4.56 E£244

$6.50 ฿217

-29.85%

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

$120 E£6,417

$793 ฿26.5K

-84.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,476 E£185.6K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-76.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.13 E£2,090

$53.7 ฿1,796

-27.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.04 E£2,619

$24.62 ฿823

99.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 E£5,934

$90.9 ฿3,036

22.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.0 E£3,043

$71.1 ฿2,378

-19.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 E£11.5K

$455 ฿15.2K

-52.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 E£10.5K

$298 ฿9,954

-34.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$542 E£28.9K

$908 ฿30.4K

-40.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 E£18.0K

$554 ฿18.5K

-38.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$830 E£44.3K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-57.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$512 E£27.3K

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-64.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$195 E£10.4K

$591 ฿19.7K

-67.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.21

5.57

191.02%

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

Last update for Cairo: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cairo

$196 30.8%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 52% $102

Groceries & Markets

Cairo

$137 21.6%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 71.7% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Cairo

$115 18.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 6.2% $7.2

Eating Out

Cairo

$88 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 11.1% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cairo

$50 7.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 89.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Cairo

$38 5.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 32.6% $12

Getting Around

Cairo

$11 1.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 452% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $215 in Cairo versus $455 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.

Salaries run about 203% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $137 in Cairo vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Cairo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Cairo

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:04 9:04 AM

13:04 1:04 PM

4 h ahead of Cairo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,120,350 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cairo Chiang Mai 6,880 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cairo
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

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

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $953 per month in Cairo and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cairo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 72% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $635, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cairo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.