Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Dhahran

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,373 in Dhahran, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Dhahran
Learn more

Dhahran Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Dhahran

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,373

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,373 in Dhahran, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Dhahran $1,373

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,761 in Dhahran, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Dhahran $1,761

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,149 in Dhahran, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Dhahran $2,149

Chiang Mai is about 32% cheaper than Dhahran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$5.41 SAR 20.30

-58.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$39.83 SAR 149

-52.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.46 SAR 24.23

-14.09%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.92 SAR 7.19

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 SAR 6.09

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$3.82 SAR 14.35

-56.28%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.69 SAR 2.57

-7.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.20 SAR 0.75

55.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.56 SAR 5.86

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.94 SAR 3.51

53.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.99 SAR 7.47

-33.17%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$3.91 SAR 14.66

-41.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$8.66 SAR 32.49

89.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$11.22 SAR 42.11

-75.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$13.79 SAR 51.7

-32.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.09 SAR 7.83

12.44%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.44 SAR 5.40

-32.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.81 SAR 6.81

-11.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.75 SAR 6.57

-14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.47 SAR 5.53

-12.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.97 SAR 3.63

13.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$1.98 SAR 7.44

-64.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.85 SAR 3.17

-42.35%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.72 SAR 17.69

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 SAR 6.13

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 SAR 9.02

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.51 SAR 20.67

-24.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.90 SAR 3.37

-3.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$55.6 SAR 208

-2.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.37 SAR 5.15

-15.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$3.30 SAR 12.37

-83.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$9.26 SAR 34.74

-73.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.63 SAR 2.38

130.16%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$36.3K SAR 136.4K

-42.06%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$21.6K SAR 81.1K

24.66%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$61.2 SAR 230

1.55%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$43.31 SAR 162

-71.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$65.9 SAR 247

-69.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$195 SAR 733

-80.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$95.1 SAR 357

-96.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.51 SAR 39.43

-38.25%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$66.2 SAR 248

1012.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$13.6K SAR 51.0K

8.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$50.7 SAR 190

5.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$42.77 SAR 160

-42.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$77.0 SAR 289

18.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$90.4 SAR 339

-20.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$366 SAR 1,375

31.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$449 SAR 1,683

-31.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,804 SAR 10.5K

-78.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.5

23.78%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dhahran: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Dhahran

$449 32.7% 45.2% $140

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Dhahran

$232 16.9% 1.2% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Dhahran

$117 8.6% 8.1% $8.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Dhahran

$170 12.4% 80.4% $76

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Dhahran

$112 8.2% 44.5% $35

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Dhahran

$77 5.6% 25.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Dhahran

$216 15.8% 330% $166

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $366 in Dhahran. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Dhahran are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $40 in Dhahran. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $232 in Dhahran – so Dhahran wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇦 Dhahran

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

04:24 4:24 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

120,521

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 SAR = 0.267 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.267 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Dhahran

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 Dhahran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dhahran costs about 47% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. 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 $2,060 in Dhahran. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dhahran, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $366 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $40 in Dhahran. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 3% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,373 in Dhahran. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,373 in Dhahran. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dhahran makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.