Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ain Taoujdate

For one person, living is cheaper in Ain Taoujdate: $790 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$925
/mo nomad
Ain Taoujdate
🇲🇦 Morocco
$790
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Ain Taoujdate

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $790 in Ain Taoujdate, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $925
  • Ain Taoujdate $790

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,239 in Ain Taoujdate, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,414
  • Ain Taoujdate $1,239

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,687 in Ain Taoujdate, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,903
  • Ain Taoujdate $1,687

Chiang Mai costs about 17% more than Ain Taoujdate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Ain Taoujdate are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Ain Taoujdate 42% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Ain Taoujdate
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.29 ฿76.5
$4.70 MAD 45.85
-51.28%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.64 ฿656
$33.20 MAD 324
-40.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.61 ฿188
$8.52 MAD 83.0
-34.15%
Cappuccino
$1.66 ฿55.6
$2.05 MAD 19.97
-19.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.70 ฿23.40
$1.07 MAD 10.47
-34.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.24
$0.34 MAD 3.28
-8.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.41 ฿80.4
$4.11 MAD 40.09
-41.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.71 ฿124
$5.61 MAD 54.7
-33.87%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Ain Taoujdate
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.3
$0.98 MAD 9.54
98.98%
White Bread (500g)
$1.41 ฿47.03
$0.82 MAD 7.99
71.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.31 ฿43.62
$1.83 MAD 17.89
-28.42%
Eggs
$2.18 ฿72.9
$1.84 MAD 17.93
18.48%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.65 ฿556
$11.12 MAD 108
49.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.76 ฿92.2
$7.31 MAD 71.3
-62.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.11 ฿304
$12.01 MAD 117
-24.15%
Apples (1kg)
$2.39 ฿80.0
$1.70 MAD 16.53
40.59%
Banana (1kg)
$1.03 ฿34.26
$1.55 MAD 15.14
-33.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.63 ฿54.4
$0.81 MAD 7.87
101.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.0
$0.76 MAD 7.40
97.37%
Potato (1kg)
$1.29 ฿43.13
$0.64 MAD 6.24
101.56%
Onion (1kg)
$1.11 ฿37.03
$0.66 MAD 6.47
68.18%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.72 ฿24.08
$0.49 MAD 4.75
46.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 ฿17.59
$0.51 MAD 4.95
3.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.31 ฿144
$4.15 MAD 40.47
3.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.95 ฿600
$8.37 MAD 81.6
114.46%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.58 ฿52.9
$2.31 MAD 22.56
-31.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 ฿95.0
$3.13 MAD 30.53
-9.27%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Ain Taoujdate
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.86 ฿28.86
$0.54 MAD 5.28
59.26%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.3 ฿1,780
$20.49 MAD 200
160.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.21 ฿40.29
$0.80 MAD 7.78
51.25%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.57 ฿18.99
$0.32 MAD 3.14
78.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.35 ฿78.6
$4.61 MAD 44.98
-49.02%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.44 ฿47.96
$1.51 MAD 14.69
-4.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.7K ฿692.8K
$30.7K MAD 299.5K
-32.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.8K ฿895.7K
$30.6K MAD 298.7K
-12.51%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Ain Taoujdate
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.3 ฿2,083
$52.3 MAD 510
19.22%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.11 ฿405
$10.24 MAD 99.8
18.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$19.94 ฿666
$42.52 MAD 415
-53.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Ain Taoujdate
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.07 ฿1,239
$25.83 MAD 252
43.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.78 ฿126
$20.69 MAD 202
-81.73%
Cinema Ticket
$6.50 ฿217
$7.64 MAD 74.5
-14.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Ain Taoujdate
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$793 ฿26.5K
$98.3 MAD 958
706.35%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿494.9K
$5,752 MAD 56.1K
157.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Ain Taoujdate
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.7 ฿1,796
$60.4 MAD 589
-11.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.62 ฿823
$44.44 MAD 433
-44.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.9 ฿3,036
$94.0 MAD 916
-3.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.1 ฿2,378
$61.2 MAD 597
16.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Ain Taoujdate
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$455 ฿15.2K
$266 MAD 2,595
71.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$298 ฿9,954
$168 MAD 1,634
77.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$908 ฿30.4K
$458 MAD 4,469
98.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$554 ฿18.5K
$273 MAD 2,666
102.54%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,931 ฿64.5K
$1,227 MAD 12.0K
57.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,445 ฿48.3K
$832 MAD 8,112
73.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Ain Taoujdate
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$591 ฿19.7K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
4.83
15.32%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Ain Taoujdate: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$298
Ain Taoujdate
$168 43.7% $130
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$235
Ain Taoujdate
$209 11.1% $26
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$108
Ain Taoujdate
$117 8.2% $8.9
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Ain Taoujdate
$105 11.3% $11
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$79
Ain Taoujdate
$125 59.3% $47
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Ain Taoujdate
$25 58.8% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Ain Taoujdate
$41 17.9% $9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $266 in Ain Taoujdate. 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 $33.00 in Ain Taoujdate. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $209 in Ain Taoujdate – so Ain Taoujdate wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇲🇦 Ain Taoujdate
🕒 Local time
05:59 5:59 AM
23:59 11:59 PM
6 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
28,288
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Ain Taoujdate 10,090 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Ain Taoujdate

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 Ain Taoujdate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Ain Taoujdate?
Chiang Mai costs about 17% more than Ain Taoujdate, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Ain Taoujdate?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,185 in Ain Taoujdate. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Ain Taoujdate?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ain Taoujdate, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How expensive is transport in Chiang Mai compared to Ain Taoujdate?
Public transport costs about 160% less in Ain Taoujdate. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Ain Taoujdate?
Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $98.3 in Ain Taoujdate. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Chiang Mai or in Ain Taoujdate?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ain Taoujdate, where all-in costs run around $790, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Ain Taoujdate it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Chiang Mai or Ain Taoujdate?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ain Taoujdate costs $790 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Ain Taoujdate?
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.
Should I move to Chiang Mai or to Ain Taoujdate?
If budget matters most, go with Ain Taoujdate. 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.

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