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 52.6% cheaper than Dubai without rent, and 68.4% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.97 ฿62.0

$11.08 AED 40.67

-82.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.68 ฿587

$81.9 AED 300

-77.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.92 ฿249

$9.73 AED 35.71

-18.60%

Cappuccino

$2.02 ฿63.6

$5.56 AED 20.42

-63.67%

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

$0.84 ฿26.44

$1.19 AED 4.38

-29.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.06

$0.94 AED 3.44

-62.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 ฿69.9

$12.48 AED 45.79

-82.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ฿113

$13.70 AED 50.3

-73.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ฿52.3

$1.92 AED 7.06

-13.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ฿51.1

$1.38 AED 5.08

17.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 ฿37.82

$2.26 AED 8.28

-46.90%

Eggs

$1.93 ฿60.8

$3.46 AED 12.68

-44.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.00 ฿503

$10.23 AED 37.54

56.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 ฿99.2

$9.50 AED 34.85

-66.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.93 ฿343

$12.76 AED 46.84

-14.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 ฿83.8

$2.36 AED 8.66

13.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ฿36.98

$1.90 AED 6.97

-37.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ฿51.5

$1.93 AED 7.08

-15.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿49.82

$1.54 AED 5.66

3.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 ฿41.63

$1.17 AED 4.31

12.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ฿37.48

$1.32 AED 4.85

-9.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿22.19

$1.39 AED 5.10

-48.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ฿17.74

$0.70 AED 2.55

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.64 ฿146

$6.51 AED 23.91

-28.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.96 ฿596

$19.37 AED 71.1

-2.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿55.6

$2.63 AED 9.65

-32.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ฿101

$3.41 AED 12.50

-6.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 ฿28.31

$1.66 AED 6.11

-45.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.24 ฿605

$80.3 AED 295

-76.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ฿42.77

$3.34 AED 12.25

-59.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 ฿42.35

$0.79 AED 2.88

70.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 ฿256

$7.97 AED 29.26

2.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ฿38.42

$0.75 AED 2.75

62.67%

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

$21.4K ฿671.6K

$33.0K AED 121.2K

-35.28%

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

$21.7K ฿683.6K

$23.2K AED 85.1K

-6.25%

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

$70.3 ฿2,210

$213 AED 782

-67.00%

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

$13.91 ฿437

$62.6 AED 230

-77.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.00 ฿566

$103 AED 379

-82.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.78 ฿1,313

$87.5 AED 321

-52.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.80 ฿214

$46.67 AED 171

-85.43%

Cinema Ticket

$5.72 ฿180

$15.02 AED 55.1

-61.92%

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

$308 ฿9,690

$822 AED 3,015

-62.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿465.6K

$14.1K AED 51.8K

5.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 ฿1,755

$83.4 AED 306

-33.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.71 ฿839

$63.1 AED 232

-57.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 ฿2,657

$114 AED 418

-25.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 ฿2,226

$120 AED 442

-41.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$431 ฿13.5K

$2,454 AED 9,005

-82.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,437

$1,591 AED 5,840

-85.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 ฿25.5K

$4,672 AED 17.1K

-82.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿15.7K

$3,003 AED 11.0K

-83.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,202 ฿69.2K

$7,211 AED 26.5K

-69.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,600 ฿50.3K

$4,040 AED 14.8K

-60.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$684 ฿21.5K

$4,088 AED 15.0K

-83.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.49

11.36%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 2026

Last update for Dubai: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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