Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Abalessa

For one person, living is cheaper in Abalessa: $524 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Abalessa
Learn more

Abalessa Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Abalessa

🇩🇿 Algeria

$524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Abalessa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Abalessa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $524 in Abalessa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Abalessa $524

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $850 in Abalessa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Abalessa $850

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,176 in Abalessa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Abalessa $1,176

Chiang Mai costs about 78% more than Abalessa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Abalessa are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Abalessa 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.9

$3.25 DZD 439

-34.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$17.07 DZD 2,307

9.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$3.85 DZD 521

45.45%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.68 DZD 91.3

144.12%

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

$0.65 ฿21.80

$0.62 DZD 83.8

4.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.28

$0.24 DZD 32.23

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.50 DZD 203

54.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.12 DZD 287

73.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.9

$0.83 DZD 113

143.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.45

$0.14 DZD 19.43

907.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.90

$1.11 DZD 149

25.23%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.8

$1.18 DZD 160

100.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$7.96 DZD 1,076

107.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.0

$4.05 DZD 548

-34.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$14.46 DZD 1,954

-37.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.8

$2.02 DZD 273

18.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.09

$2.71 DZD 367

-61.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.07 DZD 145

55.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.5

$0.90 DZD 122

73.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.71

$0.58 DZD 77.9

113.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.62

$0.49 DZD 66.1

122.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.67

$0.77 DZD 104

-1.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.33

$0.25 DZD 33.60

104.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.59 DZD 350

59.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿604

$6.74 DZD 911

166.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.7

$1.27 DZD 172

27.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.1

$1.87 DZD 253

50.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.49

$0.22 DZD 29.59

322.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,782

$6.82 DZD 922

675.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.65

$0.58 DZD 78.1

103.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$0.44 DZD 58.8

-61.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$5.15 DZD 696

-64.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.63

$0.36 DZD 48.17

308.33%

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

$21.0K ฿708.1K

$31.9K DZD 4.3M

-34.20%

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

$26.5K ฿893.6K

$34.1K DZD 4.6M

-22.21%

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

$62.6 ฿2,108

$35.66 DZD 4,820

75.43%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$8.98 DZD 1,214

29.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿684

$12.50 DZD 1,690

62.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,277

$22.02 DZD 2,977

72.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$4.52 DZD 610

44.03%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$335 DZD 45.3K

117.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿558.5K

$4,690 DZD 634.0K

253.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,804

$32.12 DZD 4,342

66.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$35.03 DZD 4,735

-29.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,046

$69.3 DZD 9,366

30.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,425

$81.8 DZD 11.1K

-12.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$142 DZD 19.2K

238.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$92.8 DZD 12.5K

234.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$272 DZD 36.7K

289.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$193 DZD 26.0K

241.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$971 DZD 131.2K

149.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.2K

$1,049 DZD 141.8K

53.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.3

5.09%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Abalessa: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Abalessa

$93 17.7% 70.1% $217

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Abalessa

$174 33.2% 26.5% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Abalessa

$98 18.7% 9.3% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Abalessa

$57 10.9% 39.5% $37

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Abalessa

$61 11.6% 20.5% $16

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Abalessa

$10 2% 82.2% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Abalessa

$31 5.9% 39% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $142 in Abalessa. 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $17 in Abalessa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $174 – making Abalessa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇩🇿 Abalessa

🕒 Local time

18:01 6:01 PM

12:01 12:01 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

6,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.4 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.61 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.4 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.61 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Abalessa 9,610 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Abalessa

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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 78% more than Abalessa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $787 in Abalessa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Abalessa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $142 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $17 in Abalessa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Abalessa, where all-in costs run around $524, than in Chiang Mai at $935. In Abalessa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Abalessa is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 44% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.