Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Dammam

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,226 in Dammam, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Dammam
Learn more

Dammam Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,226

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,226 in Dammam, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Dammam $1,226

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,857 in Dammam, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Dammam $1,857

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,488 in Dammam, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Dammam $2,488

Chiang Mai is about 24% cheaper than Dammam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Chiang Mai and Dammam are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Dammam 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$6.49 SAR 24.35

-65.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$39.23 SAR 147

-51.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.78 SAR 29.21

-28.66%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.83 SAR 6.87

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.71 SAR 13.94

-54.99%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.81 SAR 3.02

-20.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.28 SAR 1.04

10.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.72 SAR 6.45

13.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.04 SAR 3.91

38.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.32 SAR 8.71

-42.67%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.54 SAR 9.52

-10.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$6.79 SAR 25.48

142.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$7.34 SAR 27.55

-62.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$12.93 SAR 48.52

-28.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.36 SAR 8.85

-0.42%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.60 SAR 6.01

-39.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.62 SAR 6.10

-1.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.63 SAR 6.11

-7.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.25 SAR 4.67

2.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.32 SAR 4.94

-16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.35 SAR 5.07

-47.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.59 SAR 2.22

-16.95%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.84 SAR 10.65

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 SAR 6.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 SAR 7.62

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$7.26 SAR 27.23

-42.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$1.04 SAR 3.90

-16.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$40.52 SAR 152

33.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$2.62 SAR 9.83

-55.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.89 SAR 7.10

-71.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$13.55 SAR 50.8

-82.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.65 SAR 2.42

123.08%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$27.1K SAR 101.8K

-22.40%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$23.4K SAR 87.7K

15.22%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$105 SAR 395

-40.96%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$33.70 SAR 126

-63.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$72.2 SAR 271

-72.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$94.5 SAR 354

-60.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$36.96 SAR 139

-89.80%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$14.61 SAR 54.8

-55.58%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$346 SAR 1,299

112.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$7,665 SAR 28.8K

92.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$56.1 SAR 210

-4.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$62.8 SAR 236

-60.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$84.0 SAR 315

8.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$81.3 SAR 305

-11.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$440 SAR 1,652

9.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$384 SAR 1,441

-19.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$889 SAR 3,337

13.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$627 SAR 2,352

1.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,788 SAR 6,708

32.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,073 SAR 4,025

48.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.42

26.02%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dammam: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Dammam

$384 31.4% 24.3% $75

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Dammam

$198 16.1% 15.6% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Dammam

$128 10.4% 17.7% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Dammam

$211 17.2% 124% $117

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Dammam

$124 10.1% 60.1% $47

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Dammam

$57 4.6% 7.5% $4.6

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Dammam

$124 10.1% 146% $73

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $440 in Dammam. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $39 in Dammam. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $198 in Dammam – so Dammam wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇦 Dammam

🕒 Local time

05:15 5:15 AM

01:15 1:15 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

903,312

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, 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).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Dammam 5,060 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Dammam

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 Dammam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dammam costs about 31% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. 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 $1,839 in Dammam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $440 in Dammam. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $346 in Dammam. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Dammam – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,226 in Dammam. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,226 in Dammam. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.