Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Al-Qusayr

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-Qusayr: $639 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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-Qusayr
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Al-Qusayr Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Al-Qusayr

🇸🇾 Syria

$639

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $938 in Chiang Mai versus $639 in Al-Qusayr.

Chiang Mai $938
Al-Qusayr $639

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,426 in Chiang Mai versus $1,012 in Al-Qusayr.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Al-Qusayr $1,012

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,914 in Chiang Mai versus $1,385 in Al-Qusayr.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Al-Qusayr $1,385

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 47% more expensive than in Al-Qusayr, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 30% lower, Al-Qusayr 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$9.84 SYP 1,196

-77.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$42.27 SYP 5,137

-54.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$7.12 SYP 866

-21.49%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$3.64 SYP 442

-52.75%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.22 SYP 269

-71.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.83 SYP 101

-60.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.96 SYP 238

20.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.96 SYP 481

-1.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.10 SYP 134

86.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.41 SYP 49.91

241.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.50 SYP 183

-14.67%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.61 SYP 196

39.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$3.94 SYP 478

329.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$5.66 SYP 688

-51.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$13.54 SYP 1,646

-30.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.03 SYP 125

133.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.42 SYP 173

-28.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.14 SYP 139

41.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.05 SYP 128

44.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.80 SYP 97.1

60.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.74 SYP 90.1

50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.44 SYP 53.0

63.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.66 SYP 79.6

-21.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$2.71 SYP 330

59.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$6.06 SYP 737

192.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.09 SYP 132

49.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.82 SYP 343

1.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$0.98 SYP 119

19.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.50 SYP 182

-62.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$7.60 SYP 924

-68.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$3.58 SYP 435

-59.50%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$15.1K SYP 1.8M

35.18%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$19.0K SYP 2.3M

39.54%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$138 SYP 16.7K

-54.77%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$9.90 SYP 1,203

23.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$45.56 SYP 5,536

-56.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$5.61 SYP 682

19.61%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$65.6 SYP 7,973

1114.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$1,800 SYP 218.7K

724.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$28.15 SYP 3,420

89.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$39.64 SYP 4,817

-36.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$60.5 SYP 7,356

51.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$58.8 SYP 7,139

25.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

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: October 13, 2026

Last update for Al-Qusayr: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Al-Qusayr

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Al-Qusayr

$169 26.4% 29.2% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Al-Qusayr

$84 13.2% 23.1% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Al-Qusayr

$193 30.2% 104% $99

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Al-Qusayr

$174 27.2% 120% $95

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Al-Qusayr

$8.5 * 1.3% 86.2% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Al-Qusayr

$11 * 1.8% 78.1% $40

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $19.00 in Chiang Mai vs $42.00 in Al-Qusayr. Groceries flip the comparison at $238 vs $169, with Al-Qusayr cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇾 Al-Qusayr

🕒 Local time

03:24 3:24 AM

23:24 11:24 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

29,818

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 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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Between locations

Chiang Mai Al-Qusayr 6,340 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Al-Qusayr

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-Qusayr: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-Qusayr is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. The 47% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,408 in Chiang Mai and $959 in Al-Qusayr 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $938 per month in Chiang Mai versus $639 in Al-Qusayr – a 47% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $639 in Al-Qusayr versus $938 in Chiang Mai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Al-Qusayr but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Al-Qusayr the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Al-Qusayr is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Chiang Mai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Al-Qusayr are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Al-Qusayr gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.