Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Buraydah

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,226 in Buraydah, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Buraydah
Learn more

Buraydah Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Buraydah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,226

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,226 in Buraydah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Buraydah $1,226

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,036 in Buraydah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Buraydah $2,036

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,845 in Buraydah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Buraydah $2,845

Chiang Mai is about 24% cheaper than Buraydah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Chiang Mai and Buraydah are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Buraydah 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$13.15 SAR 49.33

-82.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$39.53 SAR 148

-51.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.99 SAR 29.98

-30.54%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.88 SAR 7.07

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 SAR 4.91

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$3.54 SAR 13.26

-52.82%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.79 SAR 2.96

-18.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.26 SAR 0.97

19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.67 SAR 6.25

16.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.10 SAR 4.14

30.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$2.53 SAR 9.50

-47.43%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.89 SAR 10.82

-21.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$8.31 SAR 31.18

97.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.57 SAR 24.64

-57.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$13.54 SAR 50.8

-31.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.28 SAR 8.56

3.07%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.83 SAR 6.87

-46.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.74 SAR 6.53

-8.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.75 SAR 6.58

-14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.40 SAR 5.25

-8.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.30 SAR 4.88

-15.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$1.05 SAR 3.94

-32.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.67 SAR 2.52

-26.87%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.81 SAR 6.81

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 SAR 5.54

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 SAR 9.67

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.23 SAR 23.36

-33.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$1.08 SAR 4.04

-19.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$37.57 SAR 141

43.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$2.62 SAR 9.85

-55.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$2.70 SAR 10.13

-80.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$16.75 SAR 62.8

-85.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.59 SAR 2.22

145.76%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$42.2K SAR 158.3K

-50.11%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$23.0K SAR 86.1K

17.32%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$69.9 SAR 262

-11.08%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$31.54 SAR 118

-61.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$70.1 SAR 263

-71.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$138 SAR 517

-72.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$35.66 SAR 134

-89.43%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$15.09 SAR 56.6

-56.99%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$269 SAR 1,010

173.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$3,800 SAR 14.3K

288.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$52.1 SAR 195

2.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$54.4 SAR 204

-54.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$80.4 SAR 301

13.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$70.9 SAR 266

1.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$700 SAR 2,627

-31.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$332 SAR 1,245

-6.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$905 SAR 3,396

11.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$827 SAR 3,103

-23.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$1,949 SAR 7,311

21.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,335 SAR 5,007

19.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,467 SAR 9,254

-76.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.98

39.95%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Buraydah: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Buraydah

$332 27.1% 7.4% $23

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Buraydah

$205 16.7% 12.5% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Buraydah

$116 9.5% 6.8% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Buraydah

$172 14% 81.6% $77

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Buraydah

$176 14.3% 127% $98

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Buraydah

$58 4.7% 5.5% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Buraydah

$168 13.7% 234% $118

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $700 in Buraydah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Buraydah are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $40 in Buraydah. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $205 in Buraydah – so Buraydah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇦 Buraydah

🕒 Local time

13:28 1:28 PM

09:28 9:28 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

467,410

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 SAR = 0.267 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.267 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Buraydah 5,670 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Buraydah

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 Buraydah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buraydah costs about 31% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. 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 $1,839 in Buraydah. 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 $700 in Buraydah.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,226 in Buraydah. That makes Chiang Mai about 24% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 31% less in Buraydah. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,226 in Buraydah. 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 $1,226 in Buraydah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Buraydah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.