Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Amman

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,209 in Amman, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Amman
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Amman Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Amman

🇯🇴 Jordan

$1,209

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Amman

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,209 in Amman, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Amman $1,209

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,904 in Amman, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Amman $1,904

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,599 in Amman, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Amman $2,599

Chiang Mai is about 23% cheaper than Amman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Amman are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Amman 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$7.10 JOD 5.03

-68.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$71.3 JOD 50.5

-73.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.06 JOD 5.00

-21.39%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$4.41 JOD 3.12

-62.13%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.64 JOD 0.45

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.54 JOD 0.38

-42.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$8.61 JOD 6.10

-72.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$11.14 JOD 7.89

-67.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.61 JOD 1.14

21.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.66 JOD 0.47

118.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.53 JOD 1.08

-13.07%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.32 JOD 1.64

-1.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$9.21 JOD 6.52

78.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$6.32 JOD 4.47

-56.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$12.67 JOD 8.97

-26.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.51 JOD 1.78

-6.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$2.07 JOD 1.46

-53.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.82 JOD 1.29

-12.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.77 JOD 0.54

94.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.94 JOD 0.67

36.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.79 JOD 0.56

39.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.62 JOD 0.44

14.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.70 JOD 0.50

-30.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.85 JOD 2.72

7.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$21.48 JOD 15.21

-18.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$5.05 JOD 3.58

-68.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$5.09 JOD 3.60

-45.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.82 JOD 0.58

6.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$42.82 JOD 30.32

26.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.60 JOD 0.42

93.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.43 JOD 1.02

-62.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$7.13 JOD 5.05

-66.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.76 JOD 1.24

-17.61%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$32.3K JOD 22.9K

-34.83%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$33.9K JOD 24.0K

-20.56%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$136 JOD 96.6

-54.44%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$15.46 JOD 10.94

-21.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$31.99 JOD 22.65

-37.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$54.3 JOD 38.44

-31.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$33.57 JOD 23.76

-88.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$11.25 JOD 7.96

-42.31%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$551 JOD 390

33.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$9,387 JOD 6,646

57.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$62.1 JOD 43.99

-14.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$81.7 JOD 57.9

-69.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$128 JOD 90.8

-28.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$82.2 JOD 58.2

-12.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$524 JOD 371

-7.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$269 JOD 191

14.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$777 JOD 550

29.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$428 JOD 303

47.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,542 JOD 1,092

53.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,010 JOD 715

57.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$740 JOD 524

-20.30%

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 Amman: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Amman

$269 22.3% 12.8% $39

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Amman

$265 21.9% 13.1% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Amman

$159 13.2% 46.7% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Amman

$184 15.2% 94.7% $89

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Amman

$201 16.6% 159% $123

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Amman

$54 4.5% 12.2% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Amman

$77 6.4% 52.7% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $524 in Amman. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 25% higher in Amman, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $71 in Amman. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $265 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇴 Amman

🕒 Local time

11:09 11:09 AM

07:09 7:09 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

4,000,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 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 = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.791 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Amman 6,420 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Amman

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 Amman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Amman costs about 29% 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 $1,814 in Amman. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $524 in Amman. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 21% less in Amman. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $551 in Amman. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,209 in Amman. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,209 in Amman. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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