Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Aswan

For one person, living is cheaper in Aswan: $430 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Aswan
Learn more

Aswan Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Aswan

🇪🇬 Egypt

$430

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $430 in Aswan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Aswan $430

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $709 in Aswan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Aswan $709

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $988 in Aswan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Aswan $988

Chiang Mai costs about 118% more than Aswan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Aswan are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Aswan 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$3.86 E£206

-41.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$15.58 E£832

23.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$4.63 E£247

20.73%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.30 E£69.3

32.31%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.30 E£16.28

113.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.11 E£5.70

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.29 E£68.8

82.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$2.48 E£132

57.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$0.72 E£38.58

184.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.70 E£37.43

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$0.70 E£37.22

82.86%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.27 E£67.9

77.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$3.55 E£190

377.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$3.52 E£188

-22.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$7.73 E£413

21.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.58 E£84.5

51.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$0.65 E£34.59

55.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$0.54 E£28.81

198.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$0.38 E£20.24

300.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.31 E£16.73

312.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.32 E£16.83

246.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.25 E£13.28

188.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.19 E£9.90

173.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$2.14 E£115

102.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$7.03 E£376

152.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.23 E£65.7

32.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.16 E£115

31.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.20 E£10.53

325.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$0.37 E£19.71

216.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.21 E£10.99

171.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$1.23 E£65.4

92.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.42 E£22.40

245.24%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$29.3K E£1.6M

-30.09%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$24.2K E£1.3M

9.78%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$17.37 E£928

258.84%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$6.80 E£363

80.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$12.90 E£689

54.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$16.31 E£871

132.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$4.70 E£251

-20.00%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$2.90 E£155

131.38%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$80.7 E£4,307

888.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$2,074 E£110.7K

615.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$16.05 E£857

231.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$42.02 E£2,244

-40.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$131 E£7,007

-30.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$57.2 E£3,053

28.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$145 E£7,722

220.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$65.7 E£3,507

363.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$234 E£12.5K

291.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$149 E£7,949

271.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$866 E£46.3K

120.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$349 E£18.6K

312.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

16.21

-65.64%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Aswan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Aswan

$66 15.3% 78.4% $239

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Aswan

$119 27.6% 50.1% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Aswan

$111 25.8% 1.3% $1.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Aswan

$37 8.6% 60.8% $58

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Aswan

$73 17.1% 7.1% $5.6

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Aswan

$2.2 * 0.5% 96.4% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Aswan

$22 5.1% 56.9% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $145 in Aswan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $16.00 in Aswan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $119 – making Aswan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇬 Aswan

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

08:41 8:41 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

241,261

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Aswan 6,810 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Aswan

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 Aswan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 118%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $645 in Aswan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aswan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $16.00 in Aswan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 100% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Aswan, where all-in costs run around $430, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Aswan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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