Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ibb

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Ibb: $925 and $882 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Ibb
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Ibb Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Ibb

🇾🇪 Yemen

$882

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $882 in Ibb, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Ibb $882

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,455 in Ibb, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Ibb $1,455

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,028 in Ibb, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Ibb $2,028

Chiang Mai costs about 5% more than Ibb, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Ibb are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Ibb 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$6.53 YER 1,541

-64.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$19.34 YER 4,562

1.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$8.83 YER 2,084

-36.47%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 YER 482

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 YER 593

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.81 YER 898

-56.43%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.12 YER 265

-37.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.45 YER 106

-31.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.96 YER 463

-0.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.02 YER 242

38.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$2.05 YER 484

-36.10%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$3.59 YER 848

-39.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$13.96 YER 3,293

19.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$8.13 YER 1,918

-66.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$18.82 YER 4,439

-51.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$3.44 YER 812

-30.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.04 YER 246

-0.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.15 YER 507

-24.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.72 YER 406

-12.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.52 YER 359

-15.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.33 YER 314

-16.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.83 YER 195

-13.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.68 YER 160

-22.06%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.56 YER 604

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 YER 441

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 YER 610

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$3.91 YER 921

10.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$2.10 YER 495

-42.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$2.59 YER 610

-77.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$7.36 YER 1,736

-68.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$2.09 YER 494

-31.10%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$17.2K YER 4.0M

20.77%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$35.0K YER 8.3M

-23.47%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$62.6 YER 14.8K

-0.45%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$15.86 YER 3,742

-23.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$29.84 YER 7,039

-33.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$5.88 YER 1,386

10.54%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$24.47 YER 5,773

3139.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$2,201 YER 519.3K

572.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$29.87 YER 7,047

79.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$122 YER 28.7K

-79.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$47.40 YER 11.2K

91.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$41.56 YER 9,804

71.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$320 YER 75.5K

42.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$257 YER 60.6K

15.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$752 YER 177.5K

20.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$631 YER 148.9K

-12.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$361 YER 85.1K

63.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.25

-50.49%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Ibb: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Ibb

$257 29.2% 13.7% $41

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Ibb

$251 28.4% 6.5% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Ibb

$108 12.3% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Ibb

$108 12.3% 14.8% $14

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Ibb

$131 14.8% 66.4% $52

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ibb

$15 * 1.7% 75.3% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ibb

$12 * 1.3% 76.5% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $320 in Ibb. 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 64% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $19.00 in Ibb. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $251 in Ibb – so Chiang Mai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇾🇪 Ibb

🕒 Local time

22:30 10:30 PM

18:30 6:30 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

208,844

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

YER, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 265 YER (1,000 YER = 3.77 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Ibb 5,850 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ibb

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 Ibb: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 5% more than Ibb, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,323 in Ibb. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ibb, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $19.00 in Ibb. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ibb, where all-in costs run around $882, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Ibb it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ibb costs $882 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. 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 Ibb. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.