Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Aden

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,391 in Aden, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. The total is higher in Aden despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Aden
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Aden Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Aden

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,391

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,391 in Aden, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Aden $1,391

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,353 in Aden, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Aden $2,353

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,316 in Aden, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Aden $3,316

Chiang Mai is about 33% cheaper than Aden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Aden is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$12.61 YER 2,975

-82.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$36.51 YER 8,611

-47.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$10.40 YER 2,453

-46.63%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.58 YER 845

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 YER 1,039

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.98 YER 939

-58.04%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$3.32 YER 783

-80.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.77 YER 419

-82.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$5.04 YER 1,189

-61.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$2.39 YER 563

-39.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$9.70 YER 2,289

-86.29%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$10.28 YER 2,425

-77.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.40 YER 1,982

95.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$15.71 YER 3,706

-82.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$57.4 YER 13.5K

-83.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$13.16 YER 3,104

-82.14%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$3.69 YER 870

-73.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$10.46 YER 2,468

-84.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.71 YER 1,110

-68.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$4.26 YER 1,004

-69.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$4.11 YER 969

-73.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.25 YER 295

-43.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$1.40 YER 331

-65.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$6.20 YER 1,463

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 YER 950

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.06 YER 1,194

-18.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.35 YER 81.6

148.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$2.74 YER 646

-47.08%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$49.54 YER 11.7K

25.49%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.05 YER 2,371

21.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$25.01 YER 5,900

49.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$10.03 YER 2,365

-62.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.85 YER 1,379

10.94%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$33.86 YER 7,987

2074.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$5,289 YER 1.2M

179.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$108 YER 25.4K

-50.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$84.6 YER 20.0K

-70.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$109 YER 25.6K

-15.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$159 YER 37.5K

-54.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$237 YER 56.0K

103.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$259 YER 61.2K

19.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$827 YER 195.1K

21.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$546 YER 128.8K

16.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$599 YER 141.3K

294.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$450 YER 106.0K

253.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$392 YER 92.6K

50.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-49.36%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Aden: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Aden

$259 18.7% 16% $50

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Aden

$626 45% 167% $392

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Aden

$207 14.9% 90.6% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Aden

$60 * 4.3% 36.9% $35

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Aden

$200 14.4% 158% $123

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Aden

$1.4 * 0.1% 97.8% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Aden

$37 2.6% 27% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $237 in Aden. 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 50% higher in Chiang Mai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $37 in Aden. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $626 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇾🇪 Aden

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

12:50 12:50 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

508,489

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

YER, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 263 YER (1,000 YER = 3.8 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Aden 5,790 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Aden

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 Aden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aden costs about 49% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $2,086 in Aden. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aden, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $237 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,391 in Aden. That makes Chiang Mai about 33% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $34 in Aden. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,391 in Aden. 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 $1,391 in Aden. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.