Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Duma

For one person, living is cheaper in Duma: $641 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Duma
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Duma Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Duma

🇸🇾 Syria

$641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $641 in Duma, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Duma $641

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,014 in Duma, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Duma $1,014

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,387 in Duma, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Duma $1,387

Chiang Mai costs about 46% more than Duma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Duma are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Duma 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$10.07 SYP 1,223

-77.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$41.95 SYP 5,098

-54.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.10 SYP 863

-21.83%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.62 SYP 440

-53.87%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.22 SYP 270

-71.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.87 SYP 106

-64.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.86 SYP 226

26.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.10 SYP 498

-10.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.05 SYP 127

85.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.39 SYP 46.86

269.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.50 SYP 182

-11.33%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.58 SYP 192

44.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$4.00 SYP 486

311.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$5.72 SYP 696

-51.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$13.82 SYP 1,679

-32.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.03 SYP 125

128.16%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.35 SYP 164

-28.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.10 SYP 134

45.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.07 SYP 130

40.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.78 SYP 95.3

64.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.80 SYP 97.6

37.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.40 SYP 49.04

77.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.66 SYP 80.6

-25.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.72 SYP 330

52.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.10 SYP 741

187.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.06 SYP 129

51.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.94 SYP 358

-5.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$1.02 SYP 124

13.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.56 SYP 189

-66.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$7.86 SYP 955

-69.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$3.64 SYP 443

-60.16%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$15.2K SYP 1.8M

38.60%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$19.4K SYP 2.4M

39.04%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$138 SYP 16.8K

-54.91%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$9.80 SYP 1,191

24.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$46.05 SYP 5,596

-56.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.58 SYP 678

16.31%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$67.0 SYP 8,144

998.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$1,762 SYP 214.1K

737.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$28.82 SYP 3,502

85.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$40.14 SYP 4,878

-38.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$59.0 SYP 7,175

54.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$57.4 SYP 6,970

25.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

14.25

-60.91%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Duma: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Duma

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Duma

$169 26.3% 28.1% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Duma

$83 13% 23.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Duma

$194 30.2% 105% $99

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Duma

$175 27.3% 126% $98

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Duma

$8.8 * 1.4% 85.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Duma

$11 * 1.7% 77.8% $39

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $42 in Duma. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $169 in Duma – so Duma wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇾 Duma

🕒 Local time

20:32 8:32 PM

16:32 4:32 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

110,893

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 136 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.37 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Duma 6,360 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Duma

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 Duma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 46% more than Duma, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $961 in Duma. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $42 in Duma. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Duma, where all-in costs run around $641, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Duma it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $641 in Duma to $936 in Chiang Mai. 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.