Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Irbid

For one person, living is cheaper in Irbid: $769 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Irbid
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Irbid Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Irbid

🇯🇴 Jordan

$769

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $769 in Irbid, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Irbid $769

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,226 in Irbid, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Irbid $1,226

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,683 in Irbid, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Irbid $1,683

Chiang Mai costs about 22% more than Irbid, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Irbid are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Irbid 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$4.25 JOD 3.01

-47.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$41.82 JOD 29.61

-54.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.94 JOD 4.91

-20.03%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.45 JOD 1.03

15.17%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.46 JOD 0.32

39.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.34 JOD 0.24

-8.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$6.48 JOD 4.58

-63.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$5.94 JOD 4.21

-38.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.18 JOD 0.84

65.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.45 JOD 0.32

220.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.55 JOD 1.10

-14.19%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.82 JOD 1.29

25.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$7.97 JOD 5.64

106.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$4.56 JOD 3.23

-39.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$12.81 JOD 9.07

-27.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.38 JOD 0.98

70.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.51 JOD 1.07

-35.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.04 JOD 0.74

53.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.62 JOD 0.44

141.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.88 JOD 0.62

45.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.84 JOD 0.60

30.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.63 JOD 0.45

12.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.65 JOD 0.46

-24.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.55 JOD 2.52

16.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.01 JOD 4.96

149.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.75 JOD 1.95

-41.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.27 JOD 3.02

-34.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.68 JOD 0.48

27.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$0.48 JOD 0.34

141.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$1.43 JOD 1.01

-62.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$6.95 JOD 4.92

-65.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.69 JOD 1.20

-14.20%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$26.9K JOD 19.0K

-21.66%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$31.4K JOD 22.2K

-14.20%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$96.6 JOD 68.4

-35.62%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$15.44 JOD 10.93

-21.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$31.36 JOD 22.20

-35.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$34.59 JOD 24.49

7.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$21.08 JOD 14.93

-82.12%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.03 JOD 7.10

-35.29%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$94.2 JOD 66.7

681.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$4,011 JOD 2,840

268.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$44.97 JOD 31.84

18.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$28.33 JOD 20.06

-13.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$80.4 JOD 56.9

13.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$49.64 JOD 35.15

44.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$218 JOD 155

121.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$161 JOD 114

92.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$385 JOD 273

161.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$302 JOD 214

109.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$522 JOD 369

353.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$507 JOD 359

213.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$552 JOD 391

6.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.94

-19.74%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Irbid: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Irbid

$161 20.9% 48% $148

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Irbid

$189 24.6% 19.3% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Irbid

$92 11.9% 15.8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Irbid

$143 18.6% 51.8% $49

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Irbid

$120 15.6% 54.3% $42

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Irbid

$10 * 1.3% 83.2% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Irbid

$55 7.1% 8.7% $4.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $218 in Irbid. 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 7% 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $42 in Irbid. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $189 in Irbid – so Irbid wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇴 Irbid

🕒 Local time

21:58 9:58 PM

17:58 5:58 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

292,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.27 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JOD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.79 JOD (1 JOD = 1.27 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Irbid 6,420 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Irbid

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 Irbid: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 22% more than Irbid, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,154 in Irbid. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Irbid, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $218 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $42 in Irbid. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

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 Irbid. 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.