Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and AL Kharj

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $961 in AL Kharj, rent and utilities included – about $300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in AL Kharj
Learn more

AL Kharj Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

AL Kharj

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in AL Kharj

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $961 in AL Kharj, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
AL Kharj $961

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,464 in AL Kharj, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
AL Kharj $1,464

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,966 in AL Kharj, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
AL Kharj $1,966

Chiang Mai is about 3% cheaper than AL Kharj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Chiang Mai and AL Kharj are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, AL Kharj 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$4.79 SAR 17.99

-53.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$26.43 SAR 99.2

-28.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$8.14 SAR 30.56

-31.82%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 SAR 8.11

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 SAR 4.93

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.06 SAR 11.49

-45.42%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.85 SAR 3.21

-24.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.12 SAR 0.44

158.33%

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

$1.49 SAR 5.58

30.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.28 SAR 1.06

414.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.44 SAR 9.17

-45.49%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.12 SAR 7.95

7.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$10.38 SAR 38.95

58.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.95 SAR 18.59

-43.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$13.09 SAR 49.13

-28.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.71 SAR 6.43

37.43%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.37 SAR 5.15

-29.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.23 SAR 4.60

30.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.38 SAR 5.18

8.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.06 SAR 3.97

20.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.05 SAR 3.94

4.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.55 SAR 2.05

29.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.54 SAR 2.02

-9.26%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.20 SAR 8.26

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 SAR 9.28

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.45 SAR 24.21

-35.81%

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

$23.07 SAR 86.6

134.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$2.66 SAR 9.97

-56.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.51 SAR 1.90

3.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$13.22 SAR 49.59

-81.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.61 SAR 2.27

137.70%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$26.6K SAR 100.0K

-20.97%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$22.5K SAR 84.3K

19.88%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$107 SAR 400

-41.70%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$26.42 SAR 99.1

-53.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$50.6 SAR 190

-60.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$72.4 SAR 272

-48.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$40.69 SAR 153

-90.73%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$13.41 SAR 50.3

-51.60%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$289 SAR 1,084

154.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$3,810 SAR 14.3K

287.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$57.5 SAR 216

-7.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$52.4 SAR 197

-52.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$46.60 SAR 175

96.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$78.9 SAR 296

-8.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$692 SAR 2,597

-30.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$267 SAR 1,002

15.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$590 SAR 2,214

70.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$461 SAR 1,729

37.50%

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

$2,793 SAR 10.5K

-78.88%

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 Kharj: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

AL Kharj

$267 27.8% 13.6% $42

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

AL Kharj

$174 18.1% 25.9% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

AL Kharj

$106 11% 2.5% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

AL Kharj

$184 19.1% 94.4% $89

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

AL Kharj

$103 10.8% 33.3% $26

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

AL Kharj

$28 * 2.9% 54% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

AL Kharj

$99 10.3% 97.2% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $692 in AL Kharj. 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 Kharj are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $26 in AL Kharj. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $174 in AL Kharj – so AL Kharj wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇦 AL Kharj

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

23:50 11:50 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

425,300

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai AL Kharj 5,350 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
AL Kharj

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 Kharj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $961 in AL Kharj – Chiang Mai comes out roughly 3% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,442 in AL Kharj. 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 $692 in AL Kharj.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $289 in AL Kharj. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 26% cheaper in AL Kharj – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $961 in AL Kharj. 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 $961 in AL Kharj. 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 Kharj makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.