Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Hafar Al Batin

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,177 in Hafar Al Batin, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Hafar Al Batin
Learn more

Hafar Al Batin Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Hafar Al Batin

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,177

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Hafar Al Batin

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 Hafar Al Batin actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,177 in Hafar Al Batin, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Hafar Al Batin $1,177

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,740 in Hafar Al Batin, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Hafar Al Batin $1,740

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,303 in Hafar Al Batin, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Hafar Al Batin $2,303

Chiang Mai is about 20% cheaper than Hafar Al Batin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Chiang Mai and Hafar Al Batin are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Hafar Al Batin 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$5.95 SAR 22.34

-62.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$36.72 SAR 138

-48.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$8.00 SAR 30.02

-30.63%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 SAR 7.10

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 SAR 8.54

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.19 SAR 11.97

-47.65%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.89 SAR 3.32

-28.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.24 SAR 0.90

29.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$2.04 SAR 7.67

-4.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.26 SAR 4.73

14.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.23 SAR 8.38

-40.36%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.33 SAR 8.73

-2.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$7.35 SAR 27.59

123.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$7.66 SAR 28.76

-63.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$12.71 SAR 47.69

-26.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.16 SAR 8.09

8.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.74 SAR 6.52

-44.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.56 SAR 5.87

2.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.56 SAR 5.84

-3.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.23 SAR 4.63

4.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.27 SAR 4.76

-13.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.22 SAR 4.60

-41.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.57 SAR 2.13

-14.04%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.01 SAR 11.29

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 SAR 6.85

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 SAR 7.72

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.84 SAR 25.66

-39.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$1.09 SAR 4.07

-20.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$36.77 SAR 138

47.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$2.63 SAR 9.88

-55.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.89 SAR 7.10

-71.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$13.19 SAR 49.49

-81.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.65 SAR 2.45

123.08%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$28.6K SAR 107.5K

-26.48%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$21.9K SAR 82.0K

23.23%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$103 SAR 385

-39.48%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$32.43 SAR 122

-62.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$65.7 SAR 246

-69.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$80.6 SAR 302

-53.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$13.06 SAR 49.02

-50.31%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$427 SAR 1,604

72.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$8,044 SAR 30.2K

83.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$41.48 SAR 156

28.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$53.4 SAR 200

-53.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$94.4 SAR 354

-3.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$87.2 SAR 327

-17.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$568 SAR 2,130

-15.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$374 SAR 1,403

-17.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$803 SAR 3,011

25.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$561 SAR 2,106

12.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,396 SAR 8,992

-1.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,386 SAR 5,201

14.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,403 SAR 5,266

-57.98%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Hafar Al Batin: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Hafar Al Batin

$374 31.8% 21.1% $65

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Hafar Al Batin

$203 17.3% 13.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Hafar Al Batin

$124 10.6% 14.5% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Hafar Al Batin

$201 17.1% 113% $106

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Hafar Al Batin

$114 9.7% 47.4% $37

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Hafar Al Batin

$53 4.5% 13.3% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Hafar Al Batin

$107 9.1% 112% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $568 in Hafar Al Batin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Hafar Al Batin are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $37 in Hafar Al Batin. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $203 in Hafar Al Batin – so Hafar Al Batin wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇦 Hafar Al Batin

🕒 Local time

19:02 7:02 PM

15:02 3:02 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

271,642

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Hafar Al Batin 5,470 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Hafar Al Batin

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 Hafar Al Batin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hafar Al Batin costs about 26% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. 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 $1,765 in Hafar Al Batin. 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 $568 in Hafar Al Batin.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $427 in Hafar Al Batin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 13% cheaper in Hafar Al Batin – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,177 in Hafar Al Batin. 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 $1,177 in Hafar Al Batin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Hafar Al Batin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.