Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Al-kir'anah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-kir’anah: $757 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Al-kir'anah
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Al-kir'anah Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Al-kir'anah

🇶🇦 Qatar

$757

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $757 in Al-kir’anah.

Chiang Mai $936
Al-kir'anah $757

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,287 in Al-kir’anah.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Al-kir'anah $1,287

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $1,817 in Al-kir’anah.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Al-kir'anah $1,817

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 24% more expensive than in Al-kir’anah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Al-kir’anah 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$8.33 QAR 30.33

-73.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$68.8 QAR 250

-72.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.08 QAR 29.42

-31.31%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.36 QAR 45.00

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.69 QAR 49.83

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$5.71 QAR 20.78

-70.75%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.89 QAR 3.25

-28.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.43 QAR 1.57

-27.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.6

$2.08 QAR 7.57

-6.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.39

$1.35 QAR 4.92

6.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.96

$1.89 QAR 6.89

-29.63%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿76.9

$3.35 QAR 12.21

-31.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$11.40 QAR 41.51

44.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.7

$7.92 QAR 28.81

-64.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.10 QAR 40.40

-16.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.26 QAR 8.21

3.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.80 QAR 6.57

-46.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.53 QAR 5.56

4.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.22 QAR 4.44

22.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.05

$1.00 QAR 3.63

28.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.13

$0.97 QAR 3.53

13.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.78

$1.43 QAR 5.19

-50.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.55 QAR 1.99

-10.91%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.78 QAR 35.59

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 QAR 6.73

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 QAR 8.12

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.40 QAR 23.30

-35.31%

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 ฿29.26

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,822

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿38.99

$1.97 QAR 7.16

-41.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.77

$2.12 QAR 7.72

-75.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$13.79 QAR 50.2

-82.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.81

$0.54 QAR 1.97

168.52%

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

$21.1K ฿709.5K

$24.4K QAR 88.9K

-13.81%

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

$26.9K ฿907.7K

$22.0K QAR 80.1K

22.40%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$85.6 QAR 312

-27.38%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$34.85 QAR 127

-65.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$85.7 QAR 312

-76.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$12.57 QAR 45.77

-48.37%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$677 QAR 2,466

8.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.4K

$9,667 QAR 35.2K

52.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,798

$61.8 QAR 225

-13.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$53.6 QAR 195

-54.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,082

$99.4 QAR 362

-7.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$84.4 QAR 307

-14.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.92

-5.91%

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-kir'anah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Al-kir'anah

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Al-kir'anah

$214 28.3% 8.7% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Al-kir'anah

$135 17.8% 23.9% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Al-kir'anah

$206 27.2% 118% $112

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Al-kir'anah

$165 21.8% 112% $87

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Al-kir'anah

$13 * 1.7% 79.5% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Al-kir'anah

$25 * 3.3% 50% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $69 in Al-kir’anah. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $214, with Al-kir’anah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇶🇦 Al-kir'anah

🕒 Local time

04:42 4:42 AM

00:42 12:42 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.245 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

QAR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 33.69 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.08 QAR (1 QAR = 0.245 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Al-kir'anah 4,970 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Al-kir'anah

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-kir'anah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-kir’anah wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Al-kir’anah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $1,136 in Al-kir’anah 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.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $677 in Al-kir’anah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $69 in Al-kir’anah. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.