Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Al Hufuf

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,119 in Al Hufuf, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Al Hufuf
Learn more

Al Hufuf Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Al Hufuf

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,119

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Al Hufuf

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,119 in Al Hufuf, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Al Hufuf $1,119

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,700 in Al Hufuf, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Al Hufuf $1,700

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,281 in Al Hufuf, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Al Hufuf $2,281

Chiang Mai is about 16% cheaper than Al Hufuf, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Chiang Mai and Al Hufuf are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Al Hufuf 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$6.45 SAR 24.20

-65.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$54.1 SAR 203

-64.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.23 SAR 27.10

-23.24%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 SAR 8.18

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 SAR 5.89

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$3.91 SAR 14.65

-57.29%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.63 SAR 2.36

1.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.24 SAR 0.90

29.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.76 SAR 6.61

10.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.83 SAR 3.12

73.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$2.42 SAR 9.09

-45.04%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.87 SAR 7.01

21.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$6.73 SAR 25.25

144.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.02 SAR 22.58

-53.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$15.29 SAR 57.4

-39.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.54 SAR 5.79

52.60%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.77 SAR 6.63

-45.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.35 SAR 5.07

18.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.03 SAR 3.87

45.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.03 SAR 3.88

24.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.81 SAR 3.06

35.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$1.31 SAR 4.91

-45.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.53 SAR 2.00

-7.55%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.99 SAR 11.20

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 SAR 6.53

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 SAR 9.25

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.51 SAR 24.42

-36.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$1.05 SAR 3.93

-17.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$36.89 SAR 138

46.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$3.27 SAR 12.25

-64.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$1.82 SAR 6.83

-70.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$13.17 SAR 49.41

-81.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.60 SAR 2.24

141.67%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$26.6K SAR 99.9K

-20.91%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$22.6K SAR 84.9K

19.11%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$107 SAR 402

-42.00%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$29.19 SAR 110

-58.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$70.9 SAR 266

-71.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$109 SAR 410

-65.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$13.37 SAR 50.1

-51.46%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$531 SAR 1,993

38.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$10.1K SAR 37.8K

46.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$17.12 SAR 64.2

211.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$18.88 SAR 70.8

30.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$42.97 SAR 161

112.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$31.76 SAR 119

126.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$572 SAR 2,145

-15.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$365 SAR 1,368

-15.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$831 SAR 3,116

21.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$580 SAR 2,174

9.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$2,397 SAR 8,991

-1.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,379 SAR 5,171

15.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,373 SAR 8,903

-75.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.54

0.54%

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 Hufuf: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Al Hufuf

$365 32.6% 18.1% $56

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Al Hufuf

$185 16.5% 21.3% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Al Hufuf

$50 4.5% 54.1% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Al Hufuf

$207 18.5% 119% $113

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Al Hufuf

$124 11% 59.4% $46

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Al Hufuf

$53 4.8% 12.9% $7.9

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Al Hufuf

$136 12.1% 170% $86

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $572 in Al Hufuf. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Al Hufuf are about 4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $54 in Al Hufuf. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $185 in Al Hufuf – so Al Hufuf wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇦 Al Hufuf

🕒 Local time

18:58 6:58 PM

14:58 2:58 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

660,788

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 SAR = 0.267 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.267 USD). 1 EUR = 4.19 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Al Hufuf 5,110 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Al Hufuf

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 Hufuf: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Al Hufuf is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,679 in Al Hufuf. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $572 in Al Hufuf.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $54 in Al Hufuf. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,119 in Al Hufuf. That makes Chiang Mai about 16% cheaper.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,119 in Al Hufuf. 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 $1,119 in Al Hufuf. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Al Hufuf makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.