Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Al `alamayn

For one person, living is cheaper in Al `alamayn: $414 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
20

Cost of Living Index in Al `alamayn
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Al `alamayn Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Al `alamayn

🇪🇬 Egypt

$414

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Al `alamayn

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 Al `alamayn actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai versus $414 in Al `alamayn.

Chiang Mai $935
Al `alamayn $414

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Chiang Mai versus $666 in Al `alamayn.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Al `alamayn $666

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,999 in Chiang Mai versus $917 in Al `alamayn.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Al `alamayn $917

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 126% more expensive than in Al `alamayn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Al `alamayn 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$4.54 E£251

-53.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$13.08 E£723

42.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$2.81 E£155

99.29%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.26 E£69.8

31.75%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$0.34 E£18.86

91.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.11 E£6.29

172.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.26 E£69.5

84.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.66 E£147

37.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$0.90 E£49.61

124.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$0.29 E£16.03

386.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$0.53 E£29.52

162.26%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$1.32 E£72.7

79.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$2.69 E£149

514.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$3.87 E£214

-31.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$7.09 E£392

27.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$1.50 E£82.7

60.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$0.63 E£34.93

65.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.45 E£25.01

268.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$0.32 E£17.61

387.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$0.30 E£16.83

313.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$0.39 E£21.65

179.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.38 E£21.23

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.20 E£10.93

155.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$1.94 E£107

112.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$5.66 E£313

216.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.11 E£61.4

45.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$1.88 E£104

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$0.18 E£10.18

416.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$0.32 E£17.74

268.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$0.42 E£23.30

-59.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$0.92 E£51.0

96.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$0.38 E£20.74

286.84%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$29.5K E£1.6M

-28.83%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$21.7K E£1.2M

22.43%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$20.47 E£1,131

205.62%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$3.69 E£204

214.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$8.03 E£444

152.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$14.84 E£820

155.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$2.61 E£144

149.43%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$29.27 E£1,617

2383.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$1,748 E£96.6K

848.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$16.27 E£899

229.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$40.86 E£2,258

-39.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$94.5 E£5,220

-4.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$80.8 E£4,465

-10.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$129 E£7,111

273.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$72.0 E£3,980

330.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$245 E£13.6K

331.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$135 E£7,482

386.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$722 E£39.9K

234.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$322 E£17.8K

399.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-78.58%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Al `alamayn: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Al `alamayn

$72 17.4% 76.8% $238

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Al `alamayn

$109 26.3% 54% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Al `alamayn

$105 25.2% 3.5% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Al `alamayn

$32 7.8% 65.9% $62

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Al `alamayn

$73 17.7% 4.2% $3.2

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Al `alamayn

$3.2 * 0.8% 94.6% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Al `alamayn

$20 4.8% 60.6% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $481 in Chiang Mai and $129 in Al `alamayn. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $13 in Al `alamayn for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $109 per month, with Al `alamayn cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇬 Al `alamayn

🕒 Local time

12:23 12:23 PM

07:23 7:23 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

7,400

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 EGP = 1.81 USD

100 EGP = 1.62 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 55.26 EGP (100 EGP = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.8 EGP (100 EGP = 1.62 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Al `alamayn 7,090 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Al `alamayn

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 Al `alamayn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al `alamayn is about 56% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $621 in Al `alamayn to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $481 in Chiang Mai versus $129 in Al `alamayn. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 117% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $935 per month in Chiang Mai versus $414 in Al `alamayn – Al `alamayn is about 56% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.