Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Givat Shmuel

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,899 in Givat Shmuel, rent and utilities included – about $23,600 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
140

Cost of Living Index in Givat Shmuel
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Givat Shmuel Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Givat Shmuel

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,899

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Givat Shmuel

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,899 in Givat Shmuel, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Givat Shmuel $2,899

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,342 in Givat Shmuel, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Givat Shmuel $4,342

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,785 in Givat Shmuel, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Givat Shmuel $5,785

Chiang Mai is about 68% cheaper than Givat Shmuel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Givat Shmuel is 113% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$23.06 ₪70.6

-90.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$97.0 ₪297

-80.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$20.39 ₪62.5

-72.78%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$4.89 ₪14.98

-65.85%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$2.77 ₪8.49

-76.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$2.21 ₪6.77

-85.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$11.16 ₪34.17

-78.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$9.50 ₪29.10

-61.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.46 ₪7.53

-20.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$2.64 ₪8.09

-45.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.62 ₪8.04

-49.24%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$5.31 ₪16.26

-57.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$21.61 ₪66.2

-23.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$14.25 ₪43.65

-80.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$25.33 ₪77.6

-63.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$4.53 ₪13.87

-48.12%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$3.92 ₪12.00

-75.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.50 ₪7.65

-36.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.24 ₪9.94

-53.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.74 ₪5.33

-26.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.83 ₪5.60

-39.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$2.62 ₪8.03

-72.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.50 ₪4.58

-67.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$14.38 ₪44.05

-71.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$12.86 ₪39.39

36.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.75 ₪8.41

-41.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.49 ₪7.63

11.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$2.74 ₪8.40

-68.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$109 ₪334

-50.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$4.21 ₪12.88

-72.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.09 ₪3.34

-51.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$19.70 ₪60.3

-87.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$2.62 ₪8.03

-44.66%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$54.5K ₪167.0K

-61.38%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$54.2K ₪166.1K

-50.32%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$444 ₪1,360

-86.00%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$11.18 ₪34.24

8.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$35.09 ₪107

-42.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$67.9 ₪208

-45.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$14.64 ₪44.84

-55.67%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$1,136 ₪3,480

-35.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$24.7K ₪75.6K

-40.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$73.1 ₪224

-26.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$40.04 ₪123

-38.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$137 ₪420

-33.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$149 ₪456

-51.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,452 ₪4,448

-66.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,154 ₪3,535

-73.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$2,170 ₪6,644

-53.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$2,095 ₪6,417

-69.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$9,055 ₪27.7K

-73.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$7,501 ₪23.0K

-78.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.03

10.74%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Givat Shmuel: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Givat Shmuel

$1.2K 39.8% 274% $845

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Givat Shmuel

$449 15.5% 91.6% $215

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Givat Shmuel

$180 6.2% 65.3% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Givat Shmuel

$490 16.9% 419% $396

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Givat Shmuel

$399 13.8% 414% $321

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Givat Shmuel

$130 4.5% 112% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Givat Shmuel

$97 3.4% 93.2% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,452 in Givat Shmuel. 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 $97 in Givat Shmuel. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $449 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇱 Givat Shmuel

🕒 Local time

20:06 8:06 PM

15:06 3:06 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

24,659

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 ILS = 0.327 USD

1 ILS = 0.293 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.06 ILS (1 ILS = 0.327 USD). 1 EUR = 3.41 ILS (1 ILS = 0.293 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Givat Shmuel 6,520 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Givat Shmuel

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 Givat Shmuel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Givat Shmuel costs about 210% 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 $4,349 in Givat Shmuel. 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 $1,452 in Givat Shmuel.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,136 in Givat Shmuel. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 92% more in Givat Shmuel, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,899 in Givat Shmuel. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 210% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.