Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Aja

For one person, living is cheaper in Aja: $434 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
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Aja
Learn more

Aja Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Aja

🇪🇬 Egypt

$434

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $434 in Aja, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Aja $434

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $700 in Aja, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Aja $700

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $966 in Aja, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Aja $966

Chiang Mai costs about 113% more than Aja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿77.2

$3.89 E£215

-41.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿663

$15.29 E£845

28.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿189

$4.67 E£258

20.13%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.25 E£69.0

32.80%

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

$0.70 ฿23.62

$0.32 E£17.80

118.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.33

$0.11 E£6.35

181.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿81.2

$1.32 E£72.7

82.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿125

$2.87 E£158

29.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.9

$0.80 E£44.14

143.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.48

$0.71 E£39.29

98.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿44.04

$0.62 E£34.38

111.29%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿73.6

$1.21 E£66.7

80.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿562

$3.26 E£180

410.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿93.1

$4.01 E£221

-31.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿307

$7.95 E£439

14.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.7

$1.51 E£83.7

58.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.59

$0.64 E£35.47

60.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.9

$0.49 E£26.88

232.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.33 E£17.97

354.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.54

$0.34 E£18.96

279.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.38

$0.31 E£16.97

258.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.31

$0.25 E£13.75

188.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.76

$0.17 E£9.24

211.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿145

$1.92 E£106

124.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿605

$6.30 E£348

184.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿53.4

$1.23 E£68.0

28.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.02 E£111

40.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿29.14

$0.20 E£11.01

330.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,798

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.67

$0.36 E£19.98

236.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.17

$0.16 E£9.11

256.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.22 E£67.2

92.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿48.42

$0.46 E£25.18

213.04%

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

$20.7K ฿699.4K

$31.6K E£1.7M

-34.31%

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

$26.8K ฿904.2K

$24.9K E£1.4M

7.83%

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

$62.3 ฿2,103

$14.99 E£828

315.81%

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

$12.11 ฿409

$7.02 E£388

72.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿673

$13.55 E£749

47.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,251

$16.16 E£893

129.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿219

$2.78 E£154

133.81%

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

$793 ฿26.7K

$87.4 E£4,830

806.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿499.6K

$1,900 E£105.0K

679.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,813

$17.08 E£944

214.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿831

$43.98 E£2,430

-44.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,065

$115 E£6,360

-21.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,400

$56.1 E£3,100

26.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.4K

$131 E£7,219

248.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿10.0K

$77.0 E£4,254

286.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.6K

$255 E£14.1K

256.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.7K

$146 E£8,088

278.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿65.1K

$755 E£41.7K

155.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.7K

$347 E£19.2K

316.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.9K

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 Aja: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Aja

$77 17.8% 74.1% $221

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Aja

$119 27.3% 49.7% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Aja

$105 24.1% 3.4% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Aja

$36 8.2% 62.3% $59

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Aja

$74 17.1% 5.6% $4.4

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Aja

$2 * 0.5% 96.7% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Aja

$22 5% 56.6% $28

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 $131 in Aja. 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 in Chiang Mai versus $15 in Aja. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $119 – making Aja the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇬 Aja

🕒 Local time

12:38 12:38 PM

08:38 8:38 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

47,013

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 EGP = 1.81 USD

100 EGP = 1.61 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.25 EGP (100 EGP = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.99 EGP (100 EGP = 1.61 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Aja 6,860 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Aja

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 Aja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 113% more than Aja, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $650 in Aja. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aja, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $131 there versus $455 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $925 in Chiang Mai and $434 in Aja. That’s a gap of about 113%.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $87 in Aja. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Aja, where all-in costs run around $434, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Aja it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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