Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and El Faiyum

For one person, living is cheaper in El Faiyum: $434 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in El Faiyum
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El Faiyum Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

El Faiyum

🇪🇬 Egypt

$434

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $434 in El Faiyum, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
El Faiyum $434

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $693 in El Faiyum, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
El Faiyum $693

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $952 in El Faiyum, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
El Faiyum $952

Chiang Mai costs about 113% more than El Faiyum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and El Faiyum are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, El Faiyum 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$2.29 E£122

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$12.74 E£680

54.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$3.30 E£176

70.00%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.19 E£63.3

39.50%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.29 E£15.59

141.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.10 E£5.10

210.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$0.89 E£47.70

170.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.25 E£120

64.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$0.74 E£39.61

163.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.67 E£35.72

110.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$0.62 E£32.99

111.29%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.16 E£62.1

87.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$3.03 E£162

449.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$4.23 E£226

-34.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$6.74 E£360

35.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.46 E£78.1

63.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$0.61 E£32.60

68.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.54 E£28.93

201.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$0.32 E£16.87

368.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.26 E£14.00

396.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.29 E£15.74

282.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.25 E£13.22

188.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.23 E£12.18

130.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$1.73 E£92.4

149.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$5.54 E£296

224.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.21 E£64.6

30.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.96 E£105

44.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.05 E£2.84

1620.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$5.41 E£289

884.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.39 E£20.71

210.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.29 E£15.69

96.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$1.19 E£63.3

97.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$0.41 E£21.65

251.22%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$33.3K E£1.8M

-37.67%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$25.2K E£1.3M

6.32%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$13.75 E£734

353.31%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$6.55 E£350

84.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$13.01 E£695

53.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$27.39 E£1,462

35.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$2.17 E£116

199.54%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$23.56 E£1,258

3264.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$821 E£43.8K

1703.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$32.17 E£1,718

67.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$43.92 E£2,345

-43.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$126 E£6,719

-27.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$54.1 E£2,888

31.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$163 E£8,682

180.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$80.5 E£4,299

269.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$258 E£13.8K

251.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$152 E£8,097

265.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$427 E£22.8K

351.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$221 E£11.8K

553.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$70.5 E£3,762

738.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-7.17%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for El Faiyum: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

El Faiyum

$81 18.6% 73% $217

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

El Faiyum

$113 26% 52.2% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

El Faiyum

$115 26.6% 6.5% $7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

El Faiyum

$33 7.7% 64.7% $61

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

El Faiyum

$53 12.2% 32.6% $26

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

El Faiyum

$7.5 1.7% 87.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

El Faiyum

$32 7.3% 36.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $163 in El Faiyum. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 739% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $13.00 in El Faiyum. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $113 – making El Faiyum the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇬 El Faiyum

🕒 Local time

19:37 7:37 PM

15:37 3:37 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

306,393

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai El Faiyum 6,930 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
El Faiyum

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 Faiyum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 113% more than El Faiyum, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $651 in El Faiyum. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Faiyum, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $23.56 in El Faiyum. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 109% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in El Faiyum, where all-in costs run around $434, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In El Faiyum it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. El Faiyum costs $434 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with El Faiyum. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.