Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ibra

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $981 in Ibra, rent and utilities included – about $550 less a year. The total is higher in Ibra despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Ibra
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Ibra Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Ibra

🇴🇲 Oman

$981

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $981 in Ibra, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Ibra $981

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,480 in Ibra, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Ibra $1,480

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,979 in Ibra, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Ibra $1,979

Chiang Mai is about 5% cheaper than Ibra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Ibra are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Ibra 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$5.06 OMR 1.95

-57.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$38.86 OMR 14.96

-52.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$7.69 OMR 2.96

-27.18%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$5.08 OMR 1.96

-67.32%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$0.92 OMR 0.35

-29.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.27 OMR 0.10

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$12.83 OMR 4.94

-81.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$13.09 OMR 5.04

-71.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$2.36 OMR 0.91

-14.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$1.19 OMR 0.46

18.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$1.92 OMR 0.74

-27.60%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$2.97 OMR 1.14

-20.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$7.29 OMR 2.81

126.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$6.95 OMR 2.68

-61.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$10.13 OMR 3.90

-10.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$3.56 OMR 1.37

-32.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$1.97 OMR 0.76

-47.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$2.42 OMR 0.93

-31.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.31 OMR 0.50

19.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$1.17 OMR 0.45

5.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$1.23 OMR 0.47

-11.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$1.81 OMR 0.70

-58.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.70 OMR 0.27

-27.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$6.54 OMR 2.52

-37.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$15.65 OMR 6.02

14.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$6.04 OMR 2.33

-73.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$10.29 OMR 3.96

-72.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$3.33 OMR 1.28

-64.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$2.54 OMR 0.98

-93.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$7.67 OMR 2.95

-76.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$0.64 OMR 0.25

129.69%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$24.9K OMR 9,584

-15.61%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$20.7K OMR 7,978

27.92%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$181 OMR 69.7

-65.46%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$31.19 OMR 12.00

-62.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$71.6 OMR 27.56

-71.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$31.10 OMR 11.97

21.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$18.46 OMR 7.11

-79.96%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$7.13 OMR 2.74

-8.70%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$500 OMR 192

45.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$10.7K OMR 4,119

54.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$56.8 OMR 21.86

-5.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$42.83 OMR 16.49

-42.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$89.5 OMR 34.45

0.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$88.7 OMR 34.13

-18.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$4,110 OMR 1,582

-85.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.25

6.10%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ibra: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Ibra

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Ibra

$291 29.7% 23.2% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Ibra

$125 12.7% 15.4% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Ibra

$284 28.9% 201% $189

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Ibra

$220 22.4% 187% $143

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Ibra

$16 * 1.6% 72.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Ibra

$45 4.6% 10.9% $5.5

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Ibra are about 6.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $39 in Ibra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $291 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇴🇲 Ibra

🕒 Local time

06:42 6:42 AM

03:42 3:42 AM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

35,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Ibra 4,220 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ibra

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 Ibra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ibra costs about 5% 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 $1,472 in Ibra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $39 in Ibra. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Ibra, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $981 in Ibra. 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $981 in Ibra. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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