Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and El Bayadh

For one person, living is cheaper in El Bayadh: $521 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
25

Cost of Living Index in El Bayadh
Learn more

El Bayadh Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

El Bayadh

🇩🇿 Algeria

$521

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in El Bayadh

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $521 in El Bayadh, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
El Bayadh $521

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $851 in El Bayadh, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
El Bayadh $851

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,181 in El Bayadh, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
El Bayadh $1,181

Chiang Mai costs about 79% more than El Bayadh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and El Bayadh are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, El Bayadh 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.9

$3.23 DZD 436

-34.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$17.39 DZD 2,351

7.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$3.88 DZD 525

44.33%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.65 DZD 87.7

155.38%

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

$0.65 ฿21.80

$0.62 DZD 84.5

4.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.28

$0.24 DZD 32.33

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.55 DZD 210

49.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.11 DZD 285

73.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.9

$0.90 DZD 122

124.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.45

$0.14 DZD 19.38

907.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.90

$1.15 DZD 156

20.87%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.8

$1.18 DZD 159

100.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$8.00 DZD 1,081

106.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.0

$3.89 DZD 525

-31.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$14.26 DZD 1,928

-36.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.8

$2.10 DZD 284

14.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.09

$2.72 DZD 368

-61.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.07 DZD 145

55.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.5

$0.90 DZD 121

73.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.71

$0.59 DZD 79.6

110.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.62

$0.45 DZD 60.8

142.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.67

$0.71 DZD 96.4

7.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.33

$0.25 DZD 33.72

104.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.60 DZD 351

58.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿604

$6.57 DZD 889

172.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.7

$1.28 DZD 172

26.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.1

$1.89 DZD 255

49.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.49

$0.24 DZD 32.47

287.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,782

$6.68 DZD 903

691.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.65

$0.53 DZD 72.0

122.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$0.40 DZD 54.3

-57.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$5.25 DZD 710

-65.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.63

$0.36 DZD 48.15

308.33%

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

$21.0K ฿708.1K

$31.5K DZD 4.3M

-33.40%

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

$26.5K ฿893.6K

$34.5K DZD 4.7M

-23.09%

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

$62.6 ฿2,108

$36.26 DZD 4,901

72.53%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$9.03 DZD 1,221

28.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿684

$12.06 DZD 1,630

68.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,277

$22.44 DZD 3,033

68.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$4.39 DZD 594

48.29%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$336 DZD 45.4K

116.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿558.5K

$4,750 DZD 642.0K

248.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,804

$32.09 DZD 4,338

66.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$34.00 DZD 4,596

-27.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,046

$69.8 DZD 9,430

29.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,425

$81.1 DZD 11.0K

-11.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$142 DZD 19.1K

239.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$90.8 DZD 12.3K

241.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$269 DZD 36.4K

292.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$198 DZD 26.8K

232.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$979 DZD 132.3K

147.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.2K

$1,026 DZD 138.7K

56.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.3

5.09%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for El Bayadh: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

El Bayadh

$91 17.4% 70.7% $219

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

El Bayadh

$173 33.3% 26.7% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

El Bayadh

$98 18.7% 9.9% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

El Bayadh

$57 11% 39.3% $37

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

El Bayadh

$61 11.6% 20.8% $16

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

El Bayadh

$10 2% 82.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

El Bayadh

$31 6% 38.6% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $142 in El Bayadh. 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 $17 in El Bayadh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $173 – making El Bayadh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇩🇿 El Bayadh

🕒 Local time

21:02 9:02 PM

15:02 3:02 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

91,632

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.4 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.61 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.4 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.61 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai El Bayadh 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
El Bayadh

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 El Bayadh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 79% more than El Bayadh, 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 $782 in El Bayadh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Bayadh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $142 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $336 in El Bayadh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in El Bayadh, where all-in costs run around $521, than in Chiang Mai at $935. In El Bayadh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward El Bayadh – 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.

For expats, El Bayadh is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 44% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.