Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Damietta

For one person, living is cheaper in Damietta: $329 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 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
16

Cost of Living Index in Damietta
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Damietta Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Damietta

🇪🇬 Egypt

$329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $329 in Damietta, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Damietta $329

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $556 in Damietta, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Damietta $556

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $783 in Damietta, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Damietta $783

Chiang Mai costs about 182% more than Damietta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Damietta are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Damietta 76% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$4.13 E£221

-44.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$11.00 E£588

78.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$4.51 E£241

24.39%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.26 E£67.3

31.75%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.30 E£16.00

133.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.13 E£6.77

138.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.27 E£67.8

89.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.85 E£152

30.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$0.67 E£35.70

191.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.29 E£15.54

386.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$0.62 E£33.03

111.29%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.16 E£62.2

87.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$2.21 E£118

653.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$2.43 E£130

13.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$8.07 E£431

12.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.45 E£77.4

64.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$0.68 E£36.13

51.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.48 E£25.88

239.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$0.23 E£12.33

552.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.24 E£12.69

437.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.26 E£13.81

326.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.24 E£12.72

200.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.15 E£8.27

253.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$1.73 E£92.4

149.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$5.60 E£299

220.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.16 E£61.9

36.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.64 E£87.6

73.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.08 E£4.48

975.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$3.91 E£209

1262.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.35 E£18.92

245.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.17 E£8.88

235.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$1.17 E£62.4

100.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$0.46 E£24.47

213.04%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$22.9K E£1.2M

-9.50%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$25.1K E£1.3M

6.56%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$13.85 E£739

350.04%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$6.66 E£356

81.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$13.19 E£705

51.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$21.16 E£1,130

75.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$3.65 E£195

3.56%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$2.82 E£151

130.50%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$55.9 E£2,984

1318.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$1,153 E£61.6K

1184.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$10.16 E£543

428.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$36.48 E£1,948

-32.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$46.55 E£2,486

95.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$54.2 E£2,896

31.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$27.71 E£1,479

1543.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$22.44 E£1,198

1227.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$113 E£6,053

701.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$94.4 E£5,041

486.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$917 E£49.0K

110.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$645 E£34.4K

124.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$119 E£6,345

397.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-30.37%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Damietta: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Damietta

$22 6.8% 92.5% $275

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Damietta

$98 30% 58.2% $137

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Damietta

$66 20.2% 38.7% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Damietta

$34 10.3% 64.3% $61

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Damietta

$75 23% 4% $3.1

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Damietta

$5.4 1.7% 91.1% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Damietta

$27 8.2% 46.5% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $27.71 in Damietta. 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 397% 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 $11.00 in Damietta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $98.0 – making Damietta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇬 Damietta

🕒 Local time

04:38 4:38 AM

00:38 12:38 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

267,000

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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 Damietta 6,810 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Damietta

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 Damietta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 182% more than Damietta, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $493 in Damietta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $55.9 in Damietta. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 139% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Damietta, where all-in costs run around $329, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Damietta 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. Damietta costs $329 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 Damietta. 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.