Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Fujairah

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,437 in Fujairah, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Fujairah
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Fujairah Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Fujairah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,437

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,437 in Fujairah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Fujairah $1,437

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,976 in Fujairah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Fujairah $3,976

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $6,516 in Fujairah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Fujairah $6,516

Chiang Mai is about 35% cheaper than Fujairah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Fujairah is 6% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$7.55 AED 27.73

-70.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$41.26 AED 152

-53.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.70 AED 28.28

-27.92%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$5.70 AED 20.94

-70.70%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$1.09 AED 4.00

-41.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.42 AED 1.56

-26.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$8.64 AED 31.73

-72.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$9.41 AED 34.58

-61.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.63 AED 6.00

19.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.33 AED 4.88

8.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.96 AED 7.19

-32.14%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.29 AED 8.42

-0.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$12.75 AED 46.83

29.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$9.65 AED 35.43

-71.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.07 AED 29.65

15.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.82 AED 6.69

29.12%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.60 AED 5.89

-39.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.49 AED 5.47

7.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.92 AED 3.38

63.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.79 AED 2.91

62.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.87 AED 3.20

26.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.84 AED 3.09

-15.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.43 AED 1.58

13.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.53 AED 20.32

-25.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$13.59 AED 49.93

28.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.23 AED 8.20

-27.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.51 AED 9.22

10.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$3.35 AED 12.32

-74.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$41.02 AED 151

31.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$2.80 AED 10.27

-58.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.52 AED 1.90

1.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$8.39 AED 30.81

-71.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.87 AED 3.18

66.67%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$25.6K AED 94.2K

-17.90%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$19.8K AED 72.8K

35.84%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$122 AED 448

-49.03%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$39.31 AED 144

-69.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$79.6 AED 293

-74.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$48.45 AED 178

-22.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$13.59 AED 49.90

-72.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.74 AED 39.43

-39.57%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$252 AED 926

191.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$4,571 AED 16.8K

222.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$22.13 AED 81.3

141.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$13.48 AED 49.52

82.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$74.6 AED 274

22.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$62.0 AED 228

16.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$588 AED 2,158

-17.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$526 AED 1,932

-41.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$5,279 AED 19.4K

-80.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$4,603 AED 16.9K

-86.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$3,727 AED 13.7K

-84.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.5

122.80%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Fujairah: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Fujairah

$526 36.6% 70.3% $217

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Fujairah

$243 16.9% 3.5% $8.3

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Fujairah

$77 5.4% 28.7% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Fujairah

$241 16.8% 155% $146

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Fujairah

$220 15.3% 184% $142

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Fujairah

$60 4.2% 2.5% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Fujairah

$70 4.9% 39.1% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $588 in Fujairah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Fujairah are about 6.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $41 in Fujairah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $243 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇦🇪 Fujairah

🕒 Local time

19:31 7:31 PM

16:31 4:31 PM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

93,673

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.244 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.1 AED (1 AED = 0.244 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Fujairah 4,440 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Fujairah

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 Fujairah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fujairah costs about 54% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $2,155 in Fujairah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $588 in Fujairah.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $252 in Fujairah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Fujairah, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,437 in Fujairah. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,437 in Fujairah. 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.

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