Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Dahab

For one person, living is cheaper in Dahab: $443 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Dahab
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Dahab Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Dahab

🇪🇬 Egypt

$443

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $443 in Dahab, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Dahab $443

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $735 in Dahab, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Dahab $735

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,026 in Dahab, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Dahab $1,026

Chiang Mai costs about 109% more than Dahab, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chiang Mai and Dahab are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Dahab 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$3.67 E£196

-37.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$12.95 E£691

51.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$4.53 E£242

23.84%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.54 E£82.3

7.79%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.44 E£23.36

59.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.26 E£14.01

19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.82 E£97.0

32.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.37 E£127

56.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$0.93 E£49.81

109.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.09 E£58.0

29.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$0.73 E£39.12

79.45%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.31 E£70.0

66.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$10.18 E£544

63.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$3.81 E£203

-27.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$10.21 E£545

-10.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.28 E£122

4.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.47 E£78.4

-29.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.62 E£33.08

162.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$0.58 E£30.73

158.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.54 E£28.74

138.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.53 E£28.50

109.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.80 E£42.70

-10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.21 E£10.96

152.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$1.50 E£79.9

187.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$6.45 E£344

178.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.59 E£85.1

-0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.18 E£9.72

377.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$7.37 E£394

622.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.73 E£38.83

65.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$0.42 E£22.62

242.86%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$17.34 E£926

259.46%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$6.42 E£343

88.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$17.43 E£931

14.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$14.98 E£800

147.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$9.05 E£483

-58.23%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$4.73 E£253

37.42%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$186 E£9,942

144.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$127 E£6,771

134.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$511 E£27.3K

77.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$305 E£16.3K

81.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$130 E£6,921

355.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Dahab: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Dahab

$127 28.6% 57.4% $171

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Dahab

$163 * 36.9% 30.6% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Dahab

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Dahab

$41 9.3% 56.4% $53

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Dahab

$78 17.6% 0.7% $0.5

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Dahab

$8.8 * 2% 85.5% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Dahab

$24 5.5% 51.2% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $186 in Dahab. 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 356% 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $13.00 in Dahab. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $163 – making Dahab the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇬 Dahab

🕒 Local time

18:38 6:38 PM

14:38 2:38 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

12,000

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Dahab 6,580 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Dahab

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 Dahab: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 109% more than Dahab, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $664 in Dahab. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 623% less in Dahab. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 44% 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 Dahab, where all-in costs run around $443, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Dahab 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. Dahab costs $443 versus $925 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 Dahab. 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.