Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Guelmim

For one person, living is cheaper in Guelmim: $562 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Guelmim
Learn more

Guelmim Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Guelmim

🇲🇦 Morocco

$562

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $562 in Guelmim, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Guelmim $562

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $911 in Guelmim, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Guelmim $911

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,261 in Guelmim, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Guelmim $1,261

Chiang Mai costs about 66% more than Guelmim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Guelmim are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Guelmim 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$5.05 MAD 49.68

-55.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$24.74 MAD 243

-23.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.32 MAD 72.0

-24.18%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.10 MAD 20.63

-20.48%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.80 MAD 7.85

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.34 MAD 3.34

-8.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$4.95 MAD 48.65

-52.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.38 MAD 43.01

-16.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.84 MAD 8.24

132.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.40 MAD 3.98

260.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.00 MAD 9.82

33.00%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.61 MAD 15.87

41.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.16 MAD 80.2

101.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.29 MAD 32.38

-15.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.55 MAD 84.1

8.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.28 MAD 12.60

83.59%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.11 MAD 10.92

-12.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.86 MAD 8.42

86.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.58 MAD 5.71

158.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.63 MAD 6.18

103.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.58 MAD 5.74

89.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.54 MAD 5.29

31.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.54 MAD 5.35

-9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.01 MAD 39.44

3.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$11.11 MAD 109

57.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.20 MAD 11.82

34.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.36 MAD 13.34

104.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.74 MAD 7.26

17.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$20.72 MAD 204

161.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.62 MAD 6.11

87.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.59 MAD 5.76

-10.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$5.95 MAD 58.5

-59.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.36 MAD 13.32

6.62%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$30.1K MAD 295.9K

-30.03%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$32.0K MAD 314.8K

-15.87%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$23.35 MAD 230

166.25%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.23 MAD 101

18.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$20.19 MAD 198

-0.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$25.35 MAD 249

47.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$20.58 MAD 202

-81.68%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.23 MAD 51.4

24.09%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$69.8 MAD 686

954.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$1,853 MAD 18.2K

696.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$18.13 MAD 178

194.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$15.45 MAD 152

59.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$58.3 MAD 573

56.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$30.53 MAD 300

135.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$186 MAD 1,832

158.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$113 MAD 1,110

173.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$326 MAD 3,207

208.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$219 MAD 2,153

189.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,175 MAD 11.5K

101.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$818 MAD 8,045

94.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$311 MAD 3,057

89.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.5

-14.31%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Guelmim: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Guelmim

$113 20.1% 63.4% $196

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Guelmim

$152 27% 35.3% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Guelmim

$55 9.8% 49.3% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Guelmim

$54 9.6% 43.1% $41

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Guelmim

$126 22.4% 61.9% $48

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Guelmim

$27 4.8% 55.6% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Guelmim

$36 6.4% 28.8% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $186 in Guelmim. 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 90% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $25 in Guelmim. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $152 in Guelmim – so Guelmim wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇦 Guelmim

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

00:10 12:10 AM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

118,318

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MAD = 10.17 USD

100 MAD = 9.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 9.83 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.98 MAD (100 MAD = 9.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Guelmim 10,740 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Guelmim

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 Guelmim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 66% more than Guelmim, 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 $843 in Guelmim. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Guelmim, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $186 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $70 in Guelmim. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 55% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Guelmim – 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.

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