Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Jerash

For one person, living is cheaper in Jerash: $741 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Jerash
Learn more

Jerash Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Jerash

🇯🇴 Jordan

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $741 in Jerash, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Jerash $741

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,157 in Jerash, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Jerash $1,157

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,574 in Jerash, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Jerash $1,574

Chiang Mai costs about 26% more than Jerash, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Jerash are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Jerash 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$5.67 JOD 4.01

-60.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$42.74 JOD 30.24

-55.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$5.08 JOD 3.60

9.25%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.16 JOD 1.53

-22.69%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.37 JOD 0.26

72.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.33 JOD 0.24

-6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$8.32 JOD 5.89

-71.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$11.10 JOD 7.86

-67.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.44 JOD 1.02

35.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.67 JOD 0.47

114.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.38 JOD 0.97

-3.62%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.66 JOD 1.18

37.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$4.91 JOD 3.47

235.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.32 JOD 3.05

-35.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.61 JOD 6.80

-3.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.73 JOD 1.22

35.84%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.18 JOD 0.84

-17.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.39 JOD 0.99

15.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.48 JOD 0.34

212.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.68 JOD 0.48

88.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.72 JOD 0.51

52.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.49 JOD 0.35

44.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.47 JOD 0.33

4.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.77 JOD 2.67

9.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$21.41 JOD 15.15

-18.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$4.86 JOD 3.44

-66.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$5.07 JOD 3.59

-45.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$1.44 JOD 1.02

-39.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.62 JOD 0.44

87.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.38 JOD 0.98

-61.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.88 JOD 4.87

-64.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.04 JOD 0.74

39.42%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$31.9K JOD 22.6K

-34.03%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$34.3K JOD 24.2K

-21.36%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$136 JOD 96.4

-54.33%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$15.30 JOD 10.83

-20.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$32.06 JOD 22.69

-37.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$11.22 JOD 7.94

-42.16%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$557 JOD 394

32.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$9,364 JOD 6,627

57.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$62.6 JOD 44.31

-14.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$80.9 JOD 57.3

-69.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$125 JOD 88.3

-26.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$82.9 JOD 58.7

-13.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$360 JOD 255

63.87%

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 Jerash: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Jerash

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Jerash

$210 28.4% 10.2% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Jerash

$158 21.3% 45.5% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Jerash

$184 24.8% 94.3% $89

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Jerash

$153 20.7% 97.4% $76

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Jerash

$13 * 1.8% 78.4% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Jerash

$22 * 3% 55.4% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 64% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $43 in Jerash. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $210 in Jerash – so Jerash wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇴 Jerash

🕒 Local time

00:13 12:13 AM

20:13 8:13 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

27,046

💱 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.788 JOD (1 JOD = 1.27 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Jerash

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 Jerash: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 26% more than Jerash, 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 $1,111 in Jerash. 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 $43 in Jerash. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $741 in Jerash to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Jerash. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.