Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ha'il

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,040 in Ha'il, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Ha'il
Learn more

Ha'il Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Ha'il

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,040

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Ha'il

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,040 in Ha'il, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Ha'il $1,040

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,589 in Ha'il, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Ha'il $1,589

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,139 in Ha'il, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Ha'il $2,139

Chiang Mai is about 10% cheaper than Ha'il, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Ha'il are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Ha'il 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$5.47 SAR 20.52

-58.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$37.36 SAR 140

-48.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$5.88 SAR 22.05

-4.93%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.18 SAR 4.43

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 SAR 8.73

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.60 SAR 9.76

-33.85%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.61 SAR 2.29

4.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.24 SAR 0.90

37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.72 SAR 6.47

19.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.84 SAR 3.17

66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.83 SAR 6.87

-30.05%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.88 SAR 7.05

19.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$6.81 SAR 25.56

148.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$8.52 SAR 31.96

-67.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$8.55 SAR 32.10

9.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.57 SAR 5.88

52.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.58 SAR 5.91

-36.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.31 SAR 4.90

22.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$2.03 SAR 7.61

-25.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.32 SAR 4.95

-3.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.62 SAR 6.06

-31.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.23 SAR 4.60

-41.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.49 SAR 1.83

6.12%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.02 SAR 11.35

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 SAR 6.56

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 SAR 7.65

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$6.73 SAR 25.25

-35.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$1.05 SAR 3.93

-19.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$36.18 SAR 136

48.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$2.68 SAR 10.07

-56.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.88 SAR 7.06

-69.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$13.58 SAR 50.9

-82.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.61 SAR 2.27

137.70%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$44.7K SAR 167.8K

-54.22%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$21.6K SAR 81.0K

22.82%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$52.7 SAR 198

18.39%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$21.32 SAR 80.0

-42.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$47.59 SAR 179

-58.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$67.4 SAR 253

-43.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$26.99 SAR 101

-86.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$14.85 SAR 55.7

-54.81%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$414 SAR 1,554

92.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$7,887 SAR 29.6K

88.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$43.06 SAR 162

23.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$54.6 SAR 205

-54.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$96.6 SAR 363

-5.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$87.9 SAR 330

-16.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$245 SAR 918

89.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$366 SAR 1,373

-16.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$362 SAR 1,359

152.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$566 SAR 2,123

-2.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$2,369 SAR 8,890

-19.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$1,359 SAR 5,099

5.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$1,087 SAR 4,080

-45.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.54

0.54%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ha'il: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Ha'il

$366 35.2% 20.1% $61

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Ha'il

$180 17.3% 24.5% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Ha'il

$127 12.2% 16% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Ha'il

$122 11.7% 28.5% $27

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Ha'il

$96 9.2% 21.5% $17

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Ha'il

$52 5.1% 14.4% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Ha'il

$97 9.3% 89.1% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $245 in Ha'il. 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 83% higher in Ha'il, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $37.00 in Ha'il. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $180 in Ha'il – so Ha'il wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇦 Ha'il

🕒 Local time

00:49 12:49 AM

20:49 8:49 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

310,897

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Ha'il 5,890 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ha'il

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 Ha'il: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ha'il costs about 11% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,560 in Ha'il. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $414 in Ha'il. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 32% cheaper in Ha'il – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Ha'il at $1,040. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ha'il it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,040 in Ha'il. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ha'il makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.