Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Al Mafraq

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Mafraq: $834 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Al Mafraq
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Al Mafraq Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Al Mafraq

🇯🇴 Jordan

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $834 in Al Mafraq, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Al Mafraq $834

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,376 in Al Mafraq, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Al Mafraq $1,376

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,919 in Al Mafraq, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Al Mafraq $1,919

Chiang Mai costs about 12% more than Al Mafraq, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Al Mafraq are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Al Mafraq 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$7.03 JOD 4.98

-68.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$71.5 JOD 50.6

-73.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.93 JOD 4.91

-19.91%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$4.37 JOD 3.09

-61.78%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.65 JOD 0.46

-1.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.55 JOD 0.39

-43.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$8.65 JOD 6.12

-72.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$10.83 JOD 7.67

-66.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.43 JOD 1.02

36.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.66 JOD 0.47

118.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.55 JOD 1.10

-14.19%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.30 JOD 1.63

-0.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.94 JOD 6.33

84.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.28 JOD 4.44

-55.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$12.72 JOD 9.00

-26.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.57 JOD 1.82

-8.56%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$2.04 JOD 1.44

-52.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.75 JOD 1.24

-8.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.76 JOD 0.54

97.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.88 JOD 0.62

45.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.81 JOD 0.57

35.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.64 JOD 0.45

10.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.67 JOD 0.47

-26.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.90 JOD 2.76

6.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$21.51 JOD 15.23

-18.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$4.93 JOD 3.49

-67.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$5.07 JOD 3.59

-45.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$0.64 JOD 0.45

81.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$1.37 JOD 0.97

-61.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$6.90 JOD 4.88

-64.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.76 JOD 1.24

-17.61%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$32.5K JOD 23.0K

-35.18%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$33.6K JOD 23.8K

-19.75%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$138 JOD 98.0

-55.07%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$15.44 JOD 10.93

-21.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$32.99 JOD 23.36

-39.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$11.36 JOD 8.04

-42.87%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$556 JOD 394

32.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$9,418 JOD 6,668

56.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$61.8 JOD 43.78

-13.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$79.2 JOD 56.1

-68.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$124 JOD 88.0

-26.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$81.7 JOD 57.8

-11.91%

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 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,070 JOD 758

-44.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.94

-19.74%

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 Mafraq: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Al Mafraq

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Al Mafraq

$261 31.4% 11.5% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Al Mafraq

$156 18.7% 43.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Al Mafraq

$187 22.4% 97.8% $92

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Al Mafraq

$199 23.9% 157% $122

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Al Mafraq

$7.5 * 0.9% 87.8% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Al Mafraq

$23 * 2.7% 54.8% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 81% higher in Al Mafraq, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $71 in Al Mafraq. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $261 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇴 Al Mafraq

🕒 Local time

22:06 10:06 PM

18:06 6:06 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

60,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.27 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.79 JOD (1 JOD = 1.27 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Al Mafraq 6,390 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Al Mafraq

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 Mafraq: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,250 in Al Mafraq. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $71 in Al Mafraq. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $834 in Al Mafraq to $936 in Chiang Mai. 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.