Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Al-'aziziyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-’aziziyah: $372 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Al-'aziziyah

🇱🇾 Libya

$372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Al-'aziziyah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $372 in Al-’aziziyah.

Chiang Mai $936
Al-'aziziyah $372

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $577 in Al-’aziziyah.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Al-'aziziyah $577

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $782 in Al-’aziziyah.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Al-'aziziyah $782

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 151% more expensive than in Al-’aziziyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Al-’aziziyah 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$3.98 LYD 25.52

-43.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$15.80 LYD 101

20.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$2.66 LYD 17.06

108.65%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.65 LYD 4.14

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 LYD 4.57

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$0.48 LYD 3.09

247.92%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.46 LYD 2.93

39.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.11 LYD 0.72

181.82%

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

$0.98 LYD 6.26

98.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.22 LYD 1.41

554.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.24 LYD 7.92

7.26%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.43 LYD 9.15

59.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$5.32 LYD 34.07

209.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.46 LYD 22.19

-19.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.57 LYD 61.3

-2.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.23 LYD 14.28

5.38%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.48 LYD 9.51

-34.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.75 LYD 4.79

113.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.60 LYD 3.83

150.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.77 LYD 4.96

66.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.50 LYD 3.18

120.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.43 LYD 2.75

65.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.18 LYD 1.18

172.22%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.84 LYD 11.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 LYD 6.35

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 LYD 4.95

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.00 LYD 12.80

107.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

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 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.75 LYD 4.78

54.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.49 LYD 3.14

8.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.02 LYD 0.13

7150.00%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$23.8K LYD 152.4K

-11.42%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$21.6K LYD 138.3K

24.80%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$93.8 LYD 601

-33.71%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$6.28 LYD 40.22

93.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$26.77 LYD 172

-24.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$51.6 LYD 331

1326.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$1,557 LYD 9,976

848.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$22.56 LYD 145

136.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$17.57 LYD 113

40.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$64.2 LYD 411

42.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$65.6 LYD 420

9.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Al-'aziziyah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Al-'aziziyah

–

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Al-'aziziyah

–

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Al-'aziziyah

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Al-'aziziyah

–

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Al-'aziziyah

–

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Al-'aziziyah

–

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Al-'aziziyah

–

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $16 in Al-’aziziyah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $118 per month, with Al-’aziziyah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇾 Al-'aziziyah

🕒 Local time

08:30 8:30 AM

03:30 3:30 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

23,399

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.14 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.13 LYD (1 LYD = 0.14 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Al-'aziziyah 8,530 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Al-'aziziyah

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-'aziziyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $372 in Al-’aziziyah, so Al-’aziziyah is about 60% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $558 in Al-’aziziyah 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 99% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $936 per month in Chiang Mai versus $372 in Al-’aziziyah – Al-’aziziyah is about 60% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Al-’aziziyah gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Al-’aziziyah are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.