Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,329 in Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh
Learn more

Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh

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 Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,329 in Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh $1,329

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,214 in Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh $2,214

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,100 in Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh $3,100

Chiang Mai is about 30% cheaper than Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Chiang Mai and Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.17 KWD 0.98

-29.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$63.4 KWD 19.55

-70.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.66 KWD 2.67

-35.91%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 KWD 1.00

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 KWD 1.48

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$5.11 KWD 1.57

-67.32%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.31 KWD 0.09

106.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.17 KWD 0.05

82.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.58 KWD 0.49

23.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.52 KWD 0.47

-5.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.96 KWD 0.60

-32.14%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.16 KWD 0.67

5.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$4.24 KWD 1.31

287.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$6.76 KWD 2.08

-58.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.28 KWD 3.17

-9.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.51 KWD 0.77

-6.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.85 KWD 0.57

-47.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.83 KWD 0.56

-12.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.26 KWD 0.39

19.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.15 KWD 0.35

11.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.47 KWD 0.45

-25.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.38 KWD 0.73

-70.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.58 KWD 0.18

-15.52%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.25 KWD 1.00

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 KWD 0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 KWD 0.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.79 KWD 0.86

48.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.87 KWD 0.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$4.78 KWD 1.47

-75.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$3.31 KWD 1.02

-83.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$16.31 KWD 5.03

-85.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.35 KWD 0.11

314.29%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$23.4K KWD 7,208

-9.96%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$19.4K KWD 5,978

38.89%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$65.7 KWD 20.24

-5.33%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$22.33 KWD 6.88

-45.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$29.38 KWD 9.06

-31.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$103 KWD 31.73

-63.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$13.10 KWD 4.04

-50.46%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$381 KWD 117

93.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$3,799 KWD 1,171

288.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$37.90 KWD 11.68

40.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$38.67 KWD 11.92

-36.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$99.4 KWD 30.62

-7.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$89.1 KWD 27.47

-19.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$894 KWD 276

-46.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$639 KWD 197

-51.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,873 KWD 577

-46.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,393 KWD 429

-54.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

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 Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh

$639 48.1% 107% $330

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh

$185 13.9% 21.1% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh

$119 9% 9.8% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh

$117 8.8% 24.3% $23

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh

$115 8.6% 47.7% $37

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh

$25 * 1.9% 59.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh

$129 9.7% 157% $79

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 $894 in Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh. 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 $63 in Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $185 in Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh – so Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇼 Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh

🕒 Local time

02:13 2:13 AM

22:13 10:13 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh 5,270 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh

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 Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh costs about 42% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. 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 $1,994 in Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh. 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 $894 in Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $63 in Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 21% cheaper in Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,329 in Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh. 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 $1,329 in Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.