Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Damanhur

For one person, living is cheaper in Damanhur: $295 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
14

Cost of Living Index in Damanhur
Learn more

Damanhur Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Damanhur

🇪🇬 Egypt

$295

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $295 in Damanhur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Damanhur $295

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $481 in Damanhur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Damanhur $481

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $667 in Damanhur, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Damanhur $667

Chiang Mai costs about 217% more than Damanhur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Damanhur are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Damanhur 78% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.01 E£112

11.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$8.96 E£502

112.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$3.29 E£184

68.69%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$0.71 E£39.92

135.21%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.27 E£15.07

137.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.09 E£4.93

244.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$0.73 E£40.79

223.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.44 E£80.6

154.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.79 E£44.08

146.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.77 E£43.25

87.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$0.48 E£27.11

177.08%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.09 E£60.8

109.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$2.85 E£159

477.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.58 E£200

-22.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.65 E£428

21.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.04 E£58.0

125.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$0.68 E£37.97

42.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.42 E£23.71

280.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.28 E£15.83

435.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.23 E£12.80

456.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.28 E£15.82

292.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.13 E£7.49

446.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.22 E£12.31

122.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.75 E£97.7

136.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.21 E£403

143.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.10 E£61.6

46.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.90 E£106

46.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.11 E£6.23

690.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$8.67 E£485

523.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.38 E£21.00

205.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.17 E£9.59

211.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$0.55 E£30.62

340.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$0.41 E£23.08

253.66%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$32.2K E£1.8M

-34.55%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$24.9K E£1.4M

7.98%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$13.84 E£774

349.21%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$4.01 E£225

203.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$7.93 E£444

153.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$5.48 E£306

580.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$0.86 E£48.10

654.65%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$113 E£6,330

550.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$3,299 E£184.6K

347.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$6.07 E£340

779.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$14.01 E£784

75.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$110 E£6,131

-16.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$26.79 E£1,499

168.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$43.66 E£2,443

1004.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$27.04 E£1,513

1042.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$104 E£5,842

863.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$62.5 E£3,497

913.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$437 E£24.5K

440.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$175 E£9,778

809.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$100 E£5,597

489.55%

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 Damanhur: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Damanhur

$27 9.2% 91.2% $282

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Damanhur

$112 37.9% 52.3% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Damanhur

$70 23.9% 35.2% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Damanhur

$26 8.7% 72.7% $69

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Damanhur

$42 14.4% 45.3% $35

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Damanhur

$10 3.5% 83.1% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Damanhur

$7.2 2.4% 85.7% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $44 in Damanhur. 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 5.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $9 in Damanhur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $112 – making Damanhur the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇬 Damanhur

🕒 Local time

07:09 7:09 AM

02:09 2:09 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

227,943

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 55.95 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.47 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Damanhur 6,940 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Damanhur

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 Damanhur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 217% more than Damanhur, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $443 in Damanhur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Damanhur, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $44 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $113 in Damanhur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 110% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Damanhur – 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 Damanhur. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.