Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ariana

For one person, living is cheaper in Ariana: $666 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Ariana
Learn more

Ariana Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Ariana

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $666 in Ariana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Ariana $666

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,044 in Ariana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Ariana $1,044

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,422 in Ariana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Ariana $1,422

Chiang Mai costs about 40% more than Ariana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Ariana are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Ariana 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$5.08 TND 15.26

-55.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$17.54 TND 52.7

8.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.94 TND 14.86

12.35%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.14 TND 3.42

46.49%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.65 TND 1.95

-1.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.33 TND 1.01

-6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.63 TND 4.90

44.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.35 TND 4.05

171.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.51 TND 1.53

282.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.26 TND 0.79

453.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.69 TND 5.07

-21.30%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.51 TND 4.54

50.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$7.11 TND 21.35

131.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$6.13 TND 18.42

-54.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.16 TND 33.54

-16.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.68 TND 5.04

39.88%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$2.60 TND 7.80

-62.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.24 TND 3.72

29.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.81 TND 2.44

85.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.81 TND 2.43

58.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.71 TND 2.14

54.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.52 TND 1.57

36.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.33 TND 1.00

48.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.54 TND 10.63

16.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.57 TND 19.74

166.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.23 TND 3.71

30.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.50 TND 4.51

85.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.15 TND 0.46

480.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$9.82 TND 29.51

450.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.29 TND 0.86

300.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.31 TND 0.94

70.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$1.84 TND 5.52

31.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$0.82 TND 2.47

76.83%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$38.8K TND 116.6K

-45.72%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$36.6K TND 109.9K

-26.36%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$61.3 TND 184

1.37%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$8.85 TND 26.60

37.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$21.26 TND 63.9

-5.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$31.55 TND 94.8

18.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$16.47 TND 49.49

-77.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.44 TND 13.34

46.17%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$107 TND 321

588.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$3,191 TND 9,587

362.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$38.82 TND 117

37.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$56.8 TND 171

-56.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$88.9 TND 267

2.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$67.1 TND 202

7.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$242 TND 728

98.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$154 TND 461

101.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$440 TND 1,322

128.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$291 TND 875

117.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,029 TND 3,092

129.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$736 TND 2,210

116.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$329 TND 989

79.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.65

-47.70%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ariana: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Ariana

$154 23.1% 50.3% $155

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Ariana

$171 25.7% 27% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Ariana

$113 17% 4.2% $4.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Ariana

$91 13.7% 3.2% $3

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Ariana

$84 12.6% 8.1% $6.3

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ariana

$12 1.8% 80% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ariana

$40 6.1% 19.6% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $242 in Ariana. 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 79% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $18 in Ariana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $171 – making Ariana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇳 Ariana

🕒 Local time

04:34 4:34 AM

22:34 10:34 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

114,486

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 TND = 0.333 USD

1 TND = 0.298 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, 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).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 3 TND (1 TND = 0.333 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Ariana 8,670 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ariana

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 Ariana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $666 in Ariana – Ariana comes out roughly 29% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $999 in Ariana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ariana, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $242 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $18 in Ariana. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $666 in Ariana, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

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