Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Abnub

For one person, living is cheaper in Abnub: $433 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Abnub
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Abnub Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Abnub

🇪🇬 Egypt

$433

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Abnub actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $433 in Abnub, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Abnub $433

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $698 in Abnub, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Abnub $698

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $962 in Abnub, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Abnub $962

Chiang Mai costs about 114% more than Abnub, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Abnub are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Abnub 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$3.87 E£206

-40.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$15.16 E£809

29.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$4.76 E£254

17.86%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.26 E£67.3

31.75%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.30 E£16.02

133.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.14 E£7.27

121.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.29 E£69.1

86.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.87 E£153

29.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$0.85 E£45.60

129.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.70 E£37.44

101.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$0.60 E£31.79

118.33%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.19 E£63.6

83.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$3.29 E£176

406.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$4.13 E£221

-33.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$7.90 E£422

15.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.45 E£77.4

64.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$0.64 E£34.16

60.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.45 E£24.15

262.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$0.33 E£17.39

354.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.32 E£16.87

303.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.31 E£16.35

258.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.27 E£14.42

166.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.21 E£11.39

152.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$1.85 E£98.8

132.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$6.30 E£337

184.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.24 E£66.2

27.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.95 E£104

45.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.18 E£9.35

377.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.37 E£19.52

227.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.17 E£8.90

235.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$1.20 E£64.1

95.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$0.45 E£24.28

220.00%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$31.6K E£1.7M

-34.31%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$24.5K E£1.3M

9.55%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$15.19 E£811

310.34%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$7.02 E£375

72.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$13.38 E£714

49.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$15.85 E£846

133.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$2.83 E£151

129.68%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$85.9 E£4,589

822.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$1,909 E£102.0K

675.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$17.43 E£931

208.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$45.05 E£2,406

-45.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$114 E£6,081

-20.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$56.4 E£3,014

26.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$130 E£6,967

249.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$75.8 E£4,047

292.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$253 E£13.5K

258.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$142 E£7,595

289.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$754 E£40.3K

156.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$355 E£19.0K

306.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

16.21

-65.64%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Abnub: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Abnub

$76 17.5% 74.6% $222

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Abnub

$119 27.6% 49.3% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Abnub

$105 24.2% 3.1% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Abnub

$36 8.2% 62.3% $59

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Abnub

$74 17.2% 5.5% $4.3

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Abnub

$1.9 * 0.4% 96.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Abnub

$22 5% 57.1% $29

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $130 in Abnub. 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $15.00 in Abnub. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $119 – making Abnub the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇬 Abnub

🕒 Local time

23:12 11:12 PM

19:12 7:12 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

111,785

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Abnub 6,930 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Abnub

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 Abnub: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 114%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $650 in Abnub. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $15.00 in Abnub. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 97% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Abnub, where all-in costs run around $433, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Abnub it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Abnub – 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 Abnub. 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.