Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Chlef

For one person, living is cheaper in Chlef: $427 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
21

Cost of Living Index in Chlef
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Chlef Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Chlef

🇩🇿 Algeria

$427

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $427 in Chlef, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Chlef $427

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $689 in Chlef, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Chlef $689

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $952 in Chlef, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Chlef $952

Chiang Mai costs about 120% more than Chlef, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.7

$1.65 DZD 221

36.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿644

$28.13 DZD 3,767

-31.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿188

$1.82 DZD 243

207.14%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.9

$0.90 DZD 120

91.11%

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

$0.64 ฿21.63

$0.48 DZD 64.4

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.22

$0.23 DZD 30.67

43.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.1

$1.14 DZD 153

107.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿131

$2.22 DZD 297

75.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.9

$0.50 DZD 66.5

310.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.89

$0.13 DZD 17.15

976.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.15 DZD 153

11.30%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.6

$1.19 DZD 159

89.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿568

$3.00 DZD 402

464.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿92.0

$4.00 DZD 535

-31.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿314

$10.59 DZD 1,418

-11.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$2.09 DZD 280

14.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿34.05

$2.69 DZD 360

-62.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿54.1

$1.10 DZD 148

46.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.9

$0.28 DZD 36.89

442.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.07

$0.34 DZD 45.21

276.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.36

$0.49 DZD 65.5

126.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.18

$0.62 DZD 83.1

16.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.61

$0.25 DZD 33.37

108.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$2.42 DZD 324

78.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿595

$6.70 DZD 897

164.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.6

$1.07 DZD 143

52.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.7

$1.92 DZD 257

48.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.42

$0.16 DZD 20.78

431.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,808

$6.63 DZD 887

712.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.33

$0.58 DZD 77.7

101.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.07

$0.47 DZD 62.6

21.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.5

$3.96 DZD 530

-40.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$0.32 DZD 42.52

353.12%

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

$20.5K ฿686.9K

$32.0K DZD 4.3M

-35.97%

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

$26.5K ฿889.5K

$34.8K DZD 4.7M

-23.77%

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

$62.3 ฿2,091

$33.68 DZD 4,509

85.07%

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

$12.27 ฿412

$9.60 DZD 1,286

27.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿670

$12.45 DZD 1,666

60.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,272

$10.98 DZD 1,470

245.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$14.71 DZD 1,970

-74.44%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿225

$2.48 DZD 332

170.56%

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

$797 ฿26.7K

$68.3 DZD 9,142

1067.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$1,441 DZD 192.9K

929.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,787

$10.92 DZD 1,462

387.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿840

$34.45 DZD 4,612

-27.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,074

$68.6 DZD 9,187

33.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,465

$44.27 DZD 5,927

65.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.6K

$146 DZD 19.5K

218.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$92.8 DZD 12.4K

228.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.7K

$162 DZD 21.7K

464.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$112 DZD 15.0K

391.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿64.1K

$954 DZD 127.7K

100.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.3K

$1,019 DZD 136.4K

41.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$461 DZD 61.8K

28.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.40%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chlef: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Chlef

$93 21.7% 69.5% $212

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Chlef

$139 32.5% 41.7% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Chlef

$71 16.7% 35% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Chlef

$56 13.1% 41.1% $39

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Chlef

$42 9.9% 46.3% $37

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Chlef

$10 2.4% 83.4% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Chlef

$16 3.7% 69% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $146 in Chlef. 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 29% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $28.00 in Chlef. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $139 in Chlef – so Chlef wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇩🇿 Chlef

🕒 Local time

20:51 8:51 PM

14:51 2:51 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

178,616

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 33.55 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 134 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.47 USD). 1 EUR = 150 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.67 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Chlef 9,440 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Chlef

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 Chlef: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 120% more than Chlef, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $641 in Chlef. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $68.3 in Chlef. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 72% 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 Chlef, where all-in costs run around $427, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Chlef it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chlef costs $427 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Chlef. 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.