Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Janub-as-surrah

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,192 in Janub-as-surrah, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Janub-as-surrah
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Janub-as-surrah Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Janub-as-surrah

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,192

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Janub-as-surrah

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 Janub-as-surrah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,192 in Janub-as-surrah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Janub-as-surrah $1,192

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,136 in Janub-as-surrah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Janub-as-surrah $2,136

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,080 in Janub-as-surrah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Janub-as-surrah $3,080

Chiang Mai is about 22% cheaper than Janub-as-surrah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Janub-as-surrah are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Janub-as-surrah 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$7.16 KWD 2.21

-68.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$45.63 KWD 14.06

-58.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.05 KWD 2.48

-31.06%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.88 KWD 0.89

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 KWD 0.89

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$4.68 KWD 1.44

-64.32%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.50 KWD 0.15

28.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.30 KWD 0.09

3.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.23 KWD 0.38

58.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.88 KWD 0.27

63.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$2.15 KWD 0.66

-38.14%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.24 KWD 0.69

1.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$4.56 KWD 1.41

260.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$5.76 KWD 1.78

-51.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.47 KWD 3.23

-11.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.23 KWD 0.69

5.38%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.63 KWD 0.50

-40.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.19 KWD 0.37

34.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.40 KWD 0.43

7.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.45 KWD 0.45

-11.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.04 KWD 0.32

5.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.57 KWD 0.48

-54.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.47 KWD 0.15

4.26%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.78 KWD 0.86

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 KWD 0.29

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 KWD 0.39

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.69 KWD 0.83

53.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.91 KWD 0.28

-4.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$2.90 KWD 0.89

-60.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$3.08 KWD 0.95

-82.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$17.76 KWD 5.48

-86.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$0.35 KWD 0.11

314.29%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$24.0K KWD 7,381

-12.07%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$20.5K KWD 6,314

31.50%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$59.0 KWD 18.20

5.30%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$20.95 KWD 6.46

-41.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$26.53 KWD 8.18

-24.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$83.8 KWD 25.82

-55.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.02 KWD 3.09

-35.23%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$240 KWD 73.9

207.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$7,958 KWD 2,453

85.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$32.95 KWD 10.16

61.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$44.25 KWD 13.64

-44.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$109 KWD 33.52

-15.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$84.9 KWD 26.18

-15.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$806 KWD 248

-40.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$533 KWD 164

-42.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,847 KWD 569

-45.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,515 KWD 467

-58.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.53

-14.70%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Janub-as-surrah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Janub-as-surrah

$533 44.8% 72.7% $225

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Janub-as-surrah

$164 13.7% 30.2% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Janub-as-surrah

$122 10.2% 12.2% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Janub-as-surrah

$107 8.9% 12.8% $12

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Janub-as-surrah

$141 11.8% 81.4% $63

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Janub-as-surrah

$22 * 1.8% 64.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Janub-as-surrah

$104 8.7% 107% $54

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 $806 in Janub-as-surrah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $46 in Janub-as-surrah. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $164 in Janub-as-surrah – so Janub-as-surrah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇼 Janub-as-surrah

🕒 Local time

06:32 6:32 AM

02:32 2:32 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

18,496

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 KWD = 3.24 USD

1 KWD = 2.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.24 USD). 1 EUR = 0.344 KWD (1 KWD = 2.91 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Janub-as-surrah 5,270 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Janub-as-surrah

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 Janub-as-surrah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Janub-as-surrah costs about 27% 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 $1,788 in Janub-as-surrah. 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 $806 in Janub-as-surrah.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $46 in Janub-as-surrah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 30% cheaper in Janub-as-surrah – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,192 in Janub-as-surrah. 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 $1,192 in Janub-as-surrah. 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.