Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Dibba Al-Fujairah

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,957 in Dibba Al-Fujairah, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Dibba Al-Fujairah
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Dibba Al-Fujairah Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Dibba Al-Fujairah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,957

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Dibba Al-Fujairah

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 Dibba Al-Fujairah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,957 in Dibba Al-Fujairah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Dibba Al-Fujairah $1,957

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,564 in Dibba Al-Fujairah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Dibba Al-Fujairah $3,564

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,170 in Dibba Al-Fujairah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Dibba Al-Fujairah $5,170

Chiang Mai is about 52% cheaper than Dibba Al-Fujairah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Dibba Al-Fujairah is 44% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$6.63 AED 24.36

-66.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$82.3 AED 302

-76.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.22 AED 30.19

-32.48%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$6.02 AED 22.09

-72.26%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.84 AED 3.08

-23.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.26 AED 0.94

19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$13.48 AED 49.49

-82.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$13.48 AED 49.50

-72.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.34 AED 4.90

45.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.11 AED 4.09

29.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$2.38 AED 8.75

-44.12%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.13 AED 7.80

7.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$12.19 AED 44.78

34.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.91 AED 25.36

-59.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.00 AED 25.70

33.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.60 AED 5.89

46.88%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.33 AED 4.88

-27.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.91 AED 7.01

-16.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.32 AED 4.86

13.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.80 AED 2.92

60.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.85 AED 3.11

29.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$1.34 AED 4.93

-47.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.56 AED 2.05

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.08 AED 22.34

-31.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$16.29 AED 59.8

7.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$2.59 AED 9.52

-37.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.71 AED 9.95

2.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$2.17 AED 7.96

-59.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$34.61 AED 127

56.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.11 AED 4.08

4.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.73 AED 2.67

-27.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$7.96 AED 29.25

-69.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.71 AED 2.59

104.23%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$26.1K AED 96.0K

-19.45%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

22.23%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$244 AED 894

-74.47%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$53.8 AED 198

-77.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$81.3 AED 299

-75.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$56.5 AED 208

-33.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$28.01 AED 103

-86.54%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$16.39 AED 60.2

-60.40%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$868 AED 3,189

-15.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$5,795 AED 21.3K

154.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$67.7 AED 248

-21.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$58.0 AED 213

-57.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$105 AED 384

-12.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$101 AED 371

-28.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$824 AED 3,027

-41.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$812 AED 2,981

-61.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,842 AED 6,764

-45.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$2,705 AED 9,933

-76.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$4,852 AED 17.8K

-51.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,337 AED 8,581

-31.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.54

22.69%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Dibba Al-Fujairah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$812 41.5% 163% $503

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$232 11.9% 1% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$149 7.6% 37.2% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$379 19.4% 301% $284

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$249 12.7% 221% $171

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$48 2.5% 21.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$89 4.6% 77.6% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $824 in Dibba Al-Fujairah. 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 $82 in Dibba Al-Fujairah. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $232 in Dibba Al-Fujairah – so Dibba Al-Fujairah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇦🇪 Dibba Al-Fujairah

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

18:15 6:15 PM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

30,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.244 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, 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 = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.1 AED (1 AED = 0.244 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Dibba Al-Fujairah 4,440 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Dibba Al-Fujairah

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 Dibba Al-Fujairah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dibba Al-Fujairah costs about 109% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $2,936 in Dibba Al-Fujairah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $824 in Dibba Al-Fujairah.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $82 in Dibba Al-Fujairah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 36% less in Dibba Al-Fujairah. 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 $1,957 in Dibba Al-Fujairah. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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