Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Imbabah

For one person, living is cheaper in Imbabah: $383 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Imbabah
Learn more

Imbabah Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Imbabah

🇪🇬 Egypt

$383

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $383 in Imbabah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Imbabah $383

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $627 in Imbabah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Imbabah $627

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $872 in Imbabah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Imbabah $872

Chiang Mai costs about 145% more than Imbabah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Imbabah are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Imbabah 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$3.98 E£220

-46.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$17.54 E£970

6.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$4.55 E£251

23.08%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.19 E£65.7

39.50%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$0.30 E£16.71

116.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.10 E£5.41

200.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.22 E£67.6

90.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.71 E£150

35.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$0.55 E£30.49

267.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$0.15 E£8.48

840.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$0.55 E£30.61

152.73%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$1.10 E£60.5

115.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$1.37 E£75.6

1105.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$2.91 E£161

-8.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$6.13 E£339

47.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$1.44 E£79.7

66.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$0.42 E£23.42

147.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.37 E£20.67

348.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$0.21 E£11.36

642.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$0.23 E£12.63

439.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$0.30 E£16.73

263.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.09 E£5.18

744.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.19 E£10.71

168.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$1.56 E£86.0

164.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$1.74 E£96.1

930.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.17 E£64.9

38.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$1.76 E£97.2

60.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$0.19 E£10.36

389.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$13.10 E£724

303.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$0.20 E£11.05

490.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$0.15 E£8.47

13.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$1.11 E£61.2

63.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$0.20 E£11.03

635.00%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$32.2K E£1.8M

-34.64%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$24.5K E£1.4M

8.15%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$12.32 E£681

407.79%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$6.54 E£361

77.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$12.22 E£676

66.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$15.37 E£849

146.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$2.59 E£143

151.35%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$21.66 E£1,197

3256.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$904 E£50.0K

1732.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$14.43 E£797

271.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$17.75 E£981

39.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$119 E£6,583

-24.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$53.2 E£2,940

35.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$127 E£7,018

278.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$71.4 E£3,943

334.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$247 E£13.6K

328.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$138 E£7,598

378.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$723 E£39.9K

234.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$328 E£18.1K

390.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$87.5 E£4,837

579.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

21.33

-73.89%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Imbabah: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Imbabah

$71 18.7% 77% $239

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Imbabah

$80 20.9% 66.3% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Imbabah

$92 24.1% 15% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Imbabah

$31 8.1% 67.1% $63

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Imbabah

$73 19.1% 4.8% $3.7

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Imbabah

$15 3.9% 74.7% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Imbabah

$21 5.4% 59.6% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $127 in Imbabah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 6.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $18 in Imbabah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $80 – making Imbabah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇬 Imbabah

🕒 Local time

10:35 10:35 AM

05:35 5:35 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 EGP = 1.81 USD

100 EGP = 1.62 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 55.26 EGP (100 EGP = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.8 EGP (100 EGP = 1.62 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Imbabah 6,880 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Imbabah

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 Imbabah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 145% more than Imbabah, 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 $574 in Imbabah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Imbabah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $127 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $22 in Imbabah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 196% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $383 in Imbabah, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Imbabah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Imbabah. 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.