Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Al Jubayhah

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,014 in Al Jubayhah, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Al Jubayhah despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Al Jubayhah
Learn more

Al Jubayhah Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Al Jubayhah

🇯🇴 Jordan

$1,014

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,014 in Al Jubayhah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Al Jubayhah $1,014

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,610 in Al Jubayhah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Al Jubayhah $1,610

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,206 in Al Jubayhah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Al Jubayhah $2,206

Chiang Mai is about 9% cheaper than Al Jubayhah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Al Jubayhah are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Al Jubayhah 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$7.23 JOD 5.12

-68.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$69.9 JOD 49.45

-71.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$7.19 JOD 5.09

-21.97%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$4.32 JOD 3.06

-61.57%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.50 JOD 0.35

40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.47 JOD 0.33

-34.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$6.26 JOD 4.43

-61.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$7.14 JOD 5.06

-48.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.64 JOD 1.16

18.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.71 JOD 0.50

98.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.57 JOD 1.11

-16.56%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$2.40 JOD 1.70

-9.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$9.17 JOD 6.49

81.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$4.14 JOD 2.93

-33.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$12.46 JOD 8.82

-26.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.64 JOD 1.87

-9.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$2.07 JOD 1.47

-50.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.79 JOD 1.26

-8.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$0.79 JOD 0.56

89.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.95 JOD 0.67

35.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.86 JOD 0.61

29.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.65 JOD 0.46

10.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.66 JOD 0.47

-19.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$3.99 JOD 2.82

8.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$20.97 JOD 14.85

-14.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$5.10 JOD 3.61

-69.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$4.87 JOD 3.45

-41.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.59 JOD 0.42

105.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$1.38 JOD 0.97

-58.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$7.14 JOD 5.06

-67.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.70 JOD 1.20

-15.29%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$35.4K JOD 25.1K

-41.51%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$34.5K JOD 24.5K

-22.41%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$130 JOD 91.8

-51.94%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$15.84 JOD 11.21

-23.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$31.59 JOD 22.37

-36.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$11.12 JOD 7.87

-41.55%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$493 JOD 349

60.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$9,588 JOD 6,788

54.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$62.8 JOD 44.47

-14.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$82.0 JOD 58.0

-69.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$124 JOD 87.8

-26.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$85.3 JOD 60.4

-16.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$286 JOD 203

59.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$214 JOD 151

39.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$390 JOD 276

133.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$346 JOD 245

59.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.81

-18.21%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Al Jubayhah: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Al Jubayhah

$214 21.1% 28.2% $84

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Al Jubayhah

$254 25% 7.8% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Al Jubayhah

$159 15.7% 47.3% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Al Jubayhah

$177 17.5% 87.7% $83

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Al Jubayhah

$181 17.8% 130% $102

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Al Jubayhah

$7.5 * 0.7% 87.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Al Jubayhah

$22 * 2.2% 55.6% $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 $286 in Al Jubayhah. 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 $70.0 in Al Jubayhah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $254 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇴 Al Jubayhah

🕒 Local time

19:36 7:36 PM

15:36 3:36 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

46,834

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JOD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.796 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Al Jubayhah 6,420 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Al Jubayhah

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 Jubayhah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Jubayhah costs about 10% more than Chiang Mai, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,522 in Al Jubayhah. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $70.0 in Al Jubayhah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Al Jubayhah, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Al Jubayhah at $1,014. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Al Jubayhah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,014 in Al Jubayhah. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

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