Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Jijel

For one person, living is cheaper in Jijel: $525 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Jijel
Learn more

Jijel Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Jijel

🇩🇿 Algeria

$525

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $525 in Jijel, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Jijel $525

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $846 in Jijel, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Jijel $846

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,167 in Jijel, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Jijel $1,167

Chiang Mai costs about 78% more than Jijel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Jijel are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Jijel 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$2.35 DZD 316

-4.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$27.97 DZD 3,767

-32.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$4.28 DZD 576

29.67%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$0.92 DZD 124

81.52%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.59 DZD 79.3

8.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.27 DZD 36.35

14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.18 DZD 293

8.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.28 DZD 307

60.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.84 DZD 113

132.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.16 DZD 21.08

800.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.11 DZD 149

19.82%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.18 DZD 159

93.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$7.86 DZD 1,058

109.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.84 DZD 518

-27.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$12.31 DZD 1,657

-24.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.00 DZD 269

17.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$2.79 DZD 375

-65.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.07 DZD 145

49.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.67 DZD 89.9

123.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.57 DZD 76.4

124.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.38 DZD 50.6

189.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.38 DZD 51.4

86.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.27 DZD 36.48

81.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.29 DZD 308

80.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$6.62 DZD 891

164.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.23 DZD 166

30.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.94 DZD 261

43.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.22 DZD 29.56

295.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$6.60 DZD 889

719.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.54 DZD 72.1

114.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.23 DZD 30.97

130.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$5.67 DZD 764

-57.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.33 DZD 44.34

339.39%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$35.8K DZD 4.8M

-41.20%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$34.2K DZD 4.6M

-21.25%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$39.10 DZD 5,266

59.00%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$6.63 DZD 892

83.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$12.27 DZD 1,653

63.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$16.46 DZD 2,216

126.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.39 DZD 591

47.84%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$82.5 DZD 11.1K

792.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$1,361 DZD 183.3K

984.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$32.23 DZD 4,340

65.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$33.19 DZD 4,469

-25.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$60.9 DZD 8,201

50.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$65.1 DZD 8,761

10.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$194 DZD 26.1K

148.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$121 DZD 16.3K

154.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$272 DZD 36.7K

269.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$199 DZD 26.8K

218.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$775 DZD 104.3K

205.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$392 DZD 52.8K

305.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$248 DZD 33.4K

138.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.3

5.09%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Jijel: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Jijel

$121 23.1% 60.7% $188

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Jijel

$164 31.2% 30.2% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Jijel

$86 16.4% 20.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Jijel

$58 11.1% 38.6% $36

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Jijel

$62 11.7% 20.7% $16

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Jijel

$9.2 1.8% 85.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Jijel

$25 4.8% 49.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $194 in Jijel. 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 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $28 in Jijel. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $164 in Jijel – so Jijel wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇩🇿 Jijel

🕒 Local time

23:53 11:53 PM

17:53 5:53 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

134,839

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.43 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, 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).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.43 USD). 1 EUR = 150 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.67 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Jijel 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Jijel

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 Jijel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 78% more than Jijel, 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 $788 in Jijel. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jijel, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $194 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $82 in Jijel. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 43% 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.

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

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 Jijel. 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.