Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Al-qardahah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-qardahah: $642 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Al-qardahah
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Al-qardahah Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Al-qardahah

🇸🇾 Syria

$642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $642 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Al-qardahah $642

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,016 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Al-qardahah $1,016

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,390 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Al-qardahah $1,390

Chiang Mai costs about 46% more than Al-qardahah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Al-qardahah are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Al-qardahah 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$10.06 SYP 1,222

-78.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$42.56 SYP 5,171

-56.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$6.89 SYP 837

-18.72%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$3.64 SYP 442

-54.40%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$2.23 SYP 271

-70.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.86 SYP 105

-65.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$1.94 SYP 236

19.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.90 SYP 474

-5.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$1.05 SYP 128

92.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$0.45 SYP 54.3

213.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$1.61 SYP 196

-13.66%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$1.57 SYP 191

50.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$3.98 SYP 484

315.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$5.56 SYP 675

-51.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$13.71 SYP 1,665

-34.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.03 SYP 126

133.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.38 SYP 168

-24.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.14 SYP 138

45.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.07 SYP 130

45.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$0.79 SYP 95.5

56.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$0.76 SYP 91.9

43.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$0.44 SYP 53.5

72.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.66 SYP 80.1

-22.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$2.71 SYP 329

52.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$4.94 SYP 600

262.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$1.15 SYP 140

40.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$2.81 SYP 342

0.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$0.99 SYP 120

19.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$1.49 SYP 181

-88.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$7.80 SYP 948

-76.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$3.63 SYP 441

-59.50%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$15.0K SYP 1.8M

39.97%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$19.3K SYP 2.3M

37.10%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$142 SYP 17.2K

-55.91%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$9.67 SYP 1,175

19.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$45.85 SYP 5,570

-55.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$5.56 SYP 675

17.09%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$66.9 SYP 8,128

986.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$1,770 SYP 215.1K

836.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$28.37 SYP 3,447

88.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$39.44 SYP 4,792

-37.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$61.0 SYP 7,406

48.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$57.8 SYP 7,020

24.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

14.25

-60.91%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Al-qardahah: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Al-qardahah

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Al-qardahah

$167 26% 29.5% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Al-qardahah

$84 13.1% 22.5% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Al-qardahah

$197 30.7% 109% $103

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Al-qardahah

$175 27.2% 128% $98

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Al-qardahah

$8.4 * 1.3% 85.6% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Al-qardahah

$11 * 1.7% 78.2% $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 in Chiang Mai versus $43 in Al-qardahah. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $167 in Al-qardahah – so Al-qardahah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇾 Al-qardahah

🕒 Local time

17:08 5:08 PM

13:08 1:08 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Al-qardahah

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-qardahah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 46%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $963 in Al-qardahah. 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 $43 in Al-qardahah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $642 in Al-qardahah to $935 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.