Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and As Salt

For one person, living is cheaper in As Salt: $687 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
33

Cost of Living Index in As Salt
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As Salt Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

As Salt

🇯🇴 Jordan

$687

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in As Salt

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $687 in As Salt.

Chiang Mai $936
As Salt $687

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,084 in As Salt.

Chiang Mai $1,457
As Salt $1,084

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $1,482 in As Salt.

Chiang Mai $1,979
As Salt $1,482

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 36% more expensive than in As Salt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, As Salt 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$4.86 JOD 3.44

-53.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$21.46 JOD 15.20

-11.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.01 JOD 4.96

-20.83%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.15 JOD 1.52

-22.33%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.38 JOD 0.27

68.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.29 JOD 0.21

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$5.66 JOD 4.01

-58.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.29 JOD 3.04

-14.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.24 JOD 0.88

57.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.29 JOD 0.20

396.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.54 JOD 1.09

-13.64%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.70 JOD 1.20

34.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$4.63 JOD 3.28

255.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.39 JOD 2.40

-17.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$12.45 JOD 8.82

-25.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.56 JOD 1.10

50.64%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.47 JOD 1.04

-34.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.43 JOD 1.01

11.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.77 JOD 0.55

94.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.79 JOD 0.56

62.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.56 JOD 0.39

96.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.48 JOD 0.34

47.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.58 JOD 0.41

-15.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.60 JOD 2.55

15.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$14.07 JOD 9.96

24.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$4.33 JOD 3.07

-62.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$5.14 JOD 3.64

-45.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.86 JOD 0.61

1.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$28.50 JOD 20.18

89.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$0.59 JOD 0.42

96.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$1.44 JOD 1.02

-63.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$6.95 JOD 4.92

-65.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.36 JOD 0.96

6.62%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$21.2K JOD 15.0K

-0.84%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$24.9K JOD 17.6K

8.09%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$35.00 JOD 24.78

77.63%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$11.18 JOD 7.92

8.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$14.31 JOD 10.13

40.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$28.58 JOD 20.24

30.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$35.32 JOD 25.01

-89.33%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.07 JOD 5.00

-8.20%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$143 JOD 101

416.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$8,419 JOD 5,960

75.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$25.15 JOD 17.81

112.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$49.81 JOD 35.27

-50.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$48.64 JOD 34.44

88.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$28.38 JOD 20.10

153.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$142 JOD 101

238.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$155 JOD 110

99.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$244 JOD 173

311.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$286 JOD 202

121.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$561 JOD 397

5.16%

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 As Salt: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

As Salt

$155 22.6% 49.8% $154

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

As Salt

$195 28.4% 16.8% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

As Salt

$68 10% 37% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

As Salt

$60 8.8% 36% $34

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

As Salt

$125 18.2% 61.4% $48

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

As Salt

$40 5.8% 35.3% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

As Salt

$43 6.2% 15.1% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $142 in As Salt. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 5% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $21 in As Salt. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $195, with As Salt cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇴 As Salt

🕒 Local time

20:46 8:46 PM

16:46 4:46 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

107,874

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.27 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 = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.79 JOD (1 JOD = 1.27 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai As Salt 6,430 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
As Salt

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 As Salt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

As Salt wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making As Salt the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 5% higher in Chiang Mai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $142 in As Salt. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $21 in As Salt. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $936 per month in Chiang Mai versus $687 in As Salt – As Salt is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $687 in As Salt versus $936 in Chiang Mai, a $800 budget is realistic in As Salt but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes As Salt the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and As Salt are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – As Salt wins on affordability, Chiang Mai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.