Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Al Mahwit

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Mahwit: $761 a month against $906 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Al Mahwit
Learn more

Al Mahwit Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Al Mahwit

🇾🇪 Yemen

$761

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $906 per month in Chiang Mai vs $761 in Al Mahwit, rent included.

Chiang Mai $906
Al Mahwit $761

A couple spends around $1,385 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,197 in Al Mahwit, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,385
Al Mahwit $1,197

A family of three spends $1,864 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,634 in Al Mahwit, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,864
Al Mahwit $1,634

Chiang Mai costs about 19% more than Al Mahwit, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Chiang Mai and Al Mahwit are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Al Mahwit 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.6

$6.23 YER 1,469

-65.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.40 ฿652

$25.53 YER 6,021

-24.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 ฿184

$9.47 YER 2,233

-42.24%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 YER 459

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 YER 609

Cappuccino

$1.68 ฿56.6

$3.64 YER 859

-53.85%

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

$0.66 ฿22.18

$1.17 YER 275

-43.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.56

$0.55 YER 130

-38.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿81.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ฿69.2

$2.07 YER 488

-0.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.97

$1.63 YER 384

-10.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ฿45.26

$1.98 YER 466

-31.82%

Eggs

$2.27 ฿76.3

$3.58 YER 845

-36.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.31 ฿548

$16.97 YER 4,003

-3.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.7

$8.17 YER 1,926

-66.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.20 ฿309

$18.64 YER 4,395

-50.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.5

$3.31 YER 782

-27.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.79

$1.05 YER 248

-0.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.17 YER 511

-26.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.55

$1.67 YER 394

-13.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.76

$1.47 YER 346

-11.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.44

$1.37 YER 323

-18.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ฿23.65

$1.26 YER 298

-44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.06

$0.68 YER 161

-25.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.48 YER 585

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 YER 440

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 YER 590

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 ฿139

$5.58 YER 1,316

-25.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 ฿598

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.4

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.87

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ฿1,786

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿40.97

$4.19 YER 988

-70.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ฿18.89

$2.15 YER 508

-73.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 ฿77.8

$7.19 YER 1,696

-67.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.4

$2.14 YER 505

-29.91%

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

$20.9K ฿701.0K

$17.2K YER 4.1M

21.27%

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

$26.7K ฿898.5K

$34.5K YER 8.1M

-22.41%

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

$61.3 ฿2,059

$108 YER 25.4K

-43.06%

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

$12.50 ฿420

$23.33 YER 5,502

-46.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.36 ฿684

$103 YER 24.3K

-80.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.94 ฿1,275

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 ฿222

$5.76 YER 1,358

14.58%

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

$774 ฿26.0K

$115 YER 27.1K

573.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿485.1K

$2,173 YER 512.6K

564.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ฿1,842

$42.19 YER 9,949

29.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.26 ฿849

$121 YER 28.5K

-79.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 ฿3,044

$48.73 YER 11.5K

85.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ฿2,462

$40.93 YER 9,654

78.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$459 ฿15.4K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ฿9,874

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 ฿30.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.25

-50.49%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Al Mahwit: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8%

Al Mahwit

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6%

Al Mahwit

$267 34.7% 13.2% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9%

Al Mahwit

$114 14.8% 3.7% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Al Mahwit

$234 30.4% 149% $140

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4%

Al Mahwit

$129 16.7% 66.7% $52

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Al Mahwit

$15 * 1.9% 75.3% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Al Mahwit

$12 * 1.5% 77.5% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $26.00 in Al Mahwit. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $267 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇾🇪 Al Mahwit

🕒 Local time

08:44 8:44 AM

04:44 4:44 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

12,817

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

YER, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 33.61 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 264 YER (1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Al Mahwit 5,880 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Al Mahwit

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 Mahwit: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 19%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,359 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,142 in Al Mahwit. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $906 in Chiang Mai and $761 in Al Mahwit. That's a gap of about 19%.

Kindergarten costs $774 per month in Chiang Mai and $115 in Al Mahwit. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Al Mahwit, where all-in costs run around $761, than in Chiang Mai at $906. In Al Mahwit it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al Mahwit – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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