Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Abraq Khaitan

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,177 in Abraq Khaitan, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Abraq Khaitan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Abraq Khaitan
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Abraq Khaitan Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Abraq Khaitan

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,177

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Abraq Khaitan

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,177 in Abraq Khaitan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Abraq Khaitan $1,177

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,928 in Abraq Khaitan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Abraq Khaitan $1,928

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,680 in Abraq Khaitan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Abraq Khaitan $2,680

Chiang Mai is about 20% cheaper than Abraq Khaitan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Chiang Mai and Abraq Khaitan are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Abraq Khaitan 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$3.18 KWD 0.99

-29.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$64.9 KWD 20.16

-70.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.61 KWD 2.36

-27.07%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 KWD 0.41

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 KWD 1.52

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$4.09 KWD 1.27

-59.17%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.31 KWD 0.09

106.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.18 KWD 0.06

72.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.00 KWD 0.31

95.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.66 KWD 0.20

118.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.32 KWD 0.41

0.76%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.11 KWD 0.66

8.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$4.34 KWD 1.35

279.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.25 KWD 1.94

-55.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.17 KWD 2.54

13.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.29 KWD 0.71

2.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.63 KWD 0.51

-40.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.30 KWD 0.40

23.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.27 KWD 0.40

18.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.25 KWD 0.39

2.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.66 KWD 0.20

66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.93 KWD 0.29

-23.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.30 KWD 0.09

63.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.95 KWD 0.29

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 KWD 0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 KWD 0.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.68 KWD 0.83

54.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.82 KWD 0.26

6.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$47.61 KWD 14.80

13.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$4.95 KWD 1.54

-76.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$3.28 KWD 1.02

-83.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$16.33 KWD 5.07

-85.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.34 KWD 0.11

326.47%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$16.2K KWD 5,044

29.73%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$15.8K KWD 4,901

70.83%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$66.4 KWD 20.64

-6.40%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$17.43 KWD 5.42

-30.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$29.84 KWD 9.27

-32.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$57.2 KWD 17.77

-34.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$16.12 KWD 5.01

-76.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$9.69 KWD 3.01

-33.02%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$161 KWD 49.97

357.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$3,278 KWD 1,019

350.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$37.42 KWD 11.63

42.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$32.58 KWD 10.12

-24.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$80.6 KWD 25.04

13.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$64.0 KWD 19.88

12.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$719 KWD 223

-32.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$574 KWD 178

-46.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,308 KWD 406

-23.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$1,143 KWD 355

-44.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$3,412 KWD 1,060

-82.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.40%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Abraq Khaitan: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Abraq Khaitan

$574 48.8% 85.8% $265

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Abraq Khaitan

$144 12.3% 38.4% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Abraq Khaitan

$97 8.2% 11.1% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Abraq Khaitan

$114 9.7% 20.4% $19

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Abraq Khaitan

$99 8.5% 28.1% $22

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Abraq Khaitan

$72 6.1% 17.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Abraq Khaitan

$77 6.5% 52.2% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $719 in Abraq Khaitan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Abraq Khaitan are about 5.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $65 in Abraq Khaitan. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $144 in Abraq Khaitan – so Abraq Khaitan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇼 Abraq Khaitan

🕒 Local time

18:58 6:58 PM

14:58 2:58 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 KWD = 3.22 USD

1 KWD = 2.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.311 KWD (1 KWD = 3.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.347 KWD (1 KWD = 2.88 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Abraq Khaitan 5,270 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Abraq Khaitan

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 Abraq Khaitan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Abraq Khaitan costs about 26% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. 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 $1,765 in Abraq Khaitan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $719 in Abraq Khaitan.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $161 in Abraq Khaitan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 38% cheaper in Abraq Khaitan – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,177 in Abraq Khaitan. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,177 in Abraq Khaitan. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Abraq Khaitan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.