Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Al-'udayliyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,248 in Al-’udayliyah, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Al-'udayliyah
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Al-'udayliyah Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Al-'udayliyah

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,248

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,248 in Al-’udayliyah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Al-'udayliyah $1,248

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,039 in Al-’udayliyah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Al-'udayliyah $2,039

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,829 in Al-’udayliyah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Al-'udayliyah $2,829

Chiang Mai is about 25% cheaper than Al-’udayliyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Al-’udayliyah are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Al-’udayliyah 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$8.91 KWD 2.74

-74.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$46.82 KWD 14.43

-59.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.93 KWD 2.75

-37.85%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 KWD 1.11

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 KWD 1.02

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$4.93 KWD 1.52

-66.13%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.56 KWD 0.17

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.27 KWD 0.08

14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.29 KWD 0.40

51.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.81 KWD 0.25

77.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.69 KWD 0.52

-21.30%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.92 KWD 0.59

18.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$3.96 KWD 1.22

315.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$5.20 KWD 1.60

-46.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.00 KWD 3.39

-15.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.71 KWD 0.83

-13.28%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.80 KWD 0.55

-46.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.10 KWD 0.34

45.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.36 KWD 0.42

10.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.26 KWD 0.39

1.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.84 KWD 0.26

30.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.70 KWD 0.52

-58.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.46 KWD 0.14

6.52%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.40 KWD 1.05

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 KWD 0.30

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 KWD 0.44

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.75 KWD 0.85

50.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.84 KWD 0.26

3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$3.22 KWD 0.99

-63.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$3.50 KWD 1.08

-84.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$16.57 KWD 5.11

-85.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$0.30 KWD 0.09

383.33%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$25.1K KWD 7,740

-16.15%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$18.7K KWD 5,766

44.00%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$59.7 KWD 18.41

4.07%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$18.94 KWD 5.84

-35.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$30.61 KWD 9.43

-34.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$94.7 KWD 29.18

-60.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$12.72 KWD 3.92

-48.98%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$247 KWD 76.1

198.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$8,424 KWD 2,596

75.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$34.19 KWD 10.54

56.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$45.20 KWD 13.93

-45.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$104 KWD 31.97

-11.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$85.3 KWD 26.28

-15.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$878 KWD 270

-45.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$554 KWD 171

-44.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,738 KWD 536

-42.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,189 KWD 366

-46.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$12.0K KWD 3,695

-80.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,874 KWD 886

-44.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$5,402 KWD 1,665

-89.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.53

-14.70%

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-'udayliyah: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Al-'udayliyah

$554 44.4% 79.3% $245

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Al-'udayliyah

$160 12.8% 31.9% $75

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Al-'udayliyah

$121 9.7% 11.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Al-'udayliyah

$109 8.8% 15.7% $15

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Al-'udayliyah

$160 12.9% 107% $83

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Al-'udayliyah

$24 * 1.9% 60.8% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Al-'udayliyah

$120 9.6% 139% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $878 in Al-’udayliyah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Al-’udayliyah are about 9.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $47 in Al-’udayliyah. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $160 in Al-’udayliyah – so Al-’udayliyah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇼 Al-'udayliyah

🕒 Local time

02:36 2:36 AM

22:36 10:36 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 KWD = 3.24 USD

1 KWD = 2.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.24 USD). 1 EUR = 0.344 KWD (1 KWD = 2.91 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Al-'udayliyah 5,270 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Al-'udayliyah

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-'udayliyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al-’udayliyah costs about 33% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,872 in Al-’udayliyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $878 in Al-’udayliyah.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $47 in Al-’udayliyah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 32% cheaper in Al-’udayliyah – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,248 in Al-’udayliyah. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,248 in Al-’udayliyah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Al-’udayliyah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.