Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $611 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $611 in Cairo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Cairo $611

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $970 in Cairo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Cairo $970

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,329 in Cairo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Cairo $1,329

Chiang Mai costs about 53% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Cairo 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$4.51 E£252

-50.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$27.00 E£1,511

-29.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$5.34 E£299

3.93%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.72 E£96.0

-2.91%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.34 E£19.07

88.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.14 E£8.09

121.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.39 E£77.9

69.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.15 E£120

70.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.87 E£48.58

124.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.76 E£42.47

89.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$0.63 E£35.12

111.11%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.09 E£60.9

109.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$3.74 E£209

339.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.61 E£258

-39.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.42 E£471

10.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.69 E£94.4

39.05%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.68 E£38.20

42.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.56 E£31.13

185.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.47 E£26.18

219.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.38 E£21.53

236.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.39 E£21.82

182.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.33 E£18.74

115.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.22 E£12.33

122.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.85 E£104

123.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.24 E£405

141.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.42 E£79.3

13.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.98 E£111

40.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.31 E£17.32

180.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$7.17 E£401

654.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.35 E£19.47

231.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.19 E£10.87

178.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$1.46 E£81.5

65.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.40 E£22.36

262.50%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$32.3K E£1.8M

-34.83%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$24.9K E£1.4M

8.40%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$26.70 E£1,495

132.85%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$7.51 E£420

62.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$14.02 E£785

43.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$27.01 E£1,512

38.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$7.15 E£400

-47.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.41 E£247

47.17%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$117 E£6,527

531.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$3,269 E£182.9K

351.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$37.71 E£2,111

41.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$47.61 E£2,665

-48.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$109 E£6,110

-16.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$55.6 E£3,114

29.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$203 E£11.4K

137.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$188 E£10.5K

64.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$524 E£29.3K

91.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$318 E£17.8K

99.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$793 E£44.4K

197.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$484 E£27.1K

228.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$185 E£10.3K

219.22%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Cairo

$188 30.7% 39.2% $121

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Cairo

$131 21.5% 44% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Cairo

$113 18.4% 3.6% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Cairo

$48 7.9% 48.9% $46

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Cairo

$86 14.1% 10.7% $8.3

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Cairo

$9.7 1.6% 84.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Cairo

$36 5.9% 28.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $203 in Cairo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $27 in Cairo. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $131 in Cairo – so Cairo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

00:48 12:48 AM

20:48 8:48 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 55.97 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.31 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Cairo 6,880 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Cairo

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 Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 53%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $917 in Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cairo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $203 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Groceries cost about 79% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $27 in Cairo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Cairo – 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 Cairo. 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.