Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Dubai Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Dubai

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 50.9% cheaper than Dubai without rent, and 70.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 52.5% cheaper than Dubai without rent, and 68.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Dubai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.02 ฿65.3
$11.02 AED 40.48
-81.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.78 ฿608
$80.4 AED 295
-76.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.67 ฿248
$9.33 AED 34.28
-17.79%
Cappuccino
$1.98 ฿64.2
$5.49 AED 20.15
-63.93%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 ฿26.64
$1.24 AED 4.57
-33.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ฿10.58
$0.88 AED 3.22
-62.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.12 ฿68.6
$12.4 AED 45.55
-82.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.73 ฿121
$13.52 AED 49.66
-72.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Dubai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 ฿53.2
$2.01 AED 7.36
-18.41%
White Bread (500g)
$1.57 ฿50.9
$1.42 AED 5.22
10.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 ฿38.62
$2.27 AED 8.32
-47.58%
Eggs
$1.98 ฿64.1
$3.31 AED 12.15
-40.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.99 ฿517
$10.19 AED 37.4
56.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.12 ฿101
$9.18 AED 33.71
-66.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.16 ฿361
$12.76 AED 46.85
-12.54%
Apples (1kg)
$2.76 ฿89.2
$2.3 AED 8.44
20.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 ฿39.5
$1.87 AED 6.85
-34.76%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.71 ฿55.4
$1.86 AED 6.82
-8.06%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.55 ฿50.2
$1.49 AED 5.48
4.03%
Potato (1kg)
$1.34 ฿43.21
$1.19 AED 4.39
12.61%
Onion (1kg)
$1.21 ฿39.23
$1.26 AED 4.64
-3.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.72 ฿23.2
$1.4 AED 5.13
-48.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.53 ฿17.05
$0.65 AED 2.38
-18.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.72 ฿153
$6.7 AED 24.61
-29.55%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.39 ฿595
$16.32 AED 59.9
12.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 ฿57.9
$2.64 AED 9.68
-32.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.21 ฿104
$3.52 AED 12.92
-8.81%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Dubai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.94 ฿30.44
$1.59 AED 5.84
-40.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.9 ฿612
$80.7 AED 296
-76.59%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.42 ฿46.08
$3.22 AED 11.83
-55.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 ฿43.53
$0.85 AED 3.14
58.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.85 ฿254
$8.37 AED 30.73
-6.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.25 ฿40.4
$0.72 AED 2.65
73.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ฿684.9K
$33K AED 121K
-35.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K ฿706.8K
$22.7K AED 83.3K
-3.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Dubai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$70.6 ฿2,285
$217 AED 796
-67.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.72 ฿444
$63.4 AED 233
-78.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.56 ฿568
$101 AED 371
-82.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Dubai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.64 ฿1,347
$89.1 AED 327
-53.25%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.9 ฿223
$46.03 AED 169
-85.01%
Cinema Ticket
$5.8 ฿188
$14.96 AED 54.9
-61.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Dubai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$308 ฿9,963
$833 AED 3,060
-63.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.7K ฿475.8K
$14.3K AED 52.4K
3.09%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Dubai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.4 ฿1,793
$83.3 AED 306
-33.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.4 ฿854
$63.7 AED 234
-58.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$85.1 ฿2,755
$113 AED 413
-24.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.8 ฿2,323
$122 AED 447
-40.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Dubai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$434 ฿14K
$2,421 AED 8,892
-82.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$235 ฿7,610
$1,560 AED 5,729
-84.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$821 ฿26.6K
$4,608 AED 16.9K
-82.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$498 ฿16.1K
$2,940 AED 10.8K
-83.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,180 ฿70.6K
$7,378 AED 27.1K
-70.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,543 ฿49.9K
$3,803 AED 14K
-59.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Dubai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$703 ฿22.8K
$4,063 AED 14.9K
-82.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
4.49
11.36%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 29, 2025

Last update for Dubai: October 27, 2025

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