Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kafr El Sheikh

For one person, living is cheaper in Kafr El Sheikh: $398 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Kafr El Sheikh
Learn more

Kafr El Sheikh Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Kafr El Sheikh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$398

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Kafr El Sheikh

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 Kafr El Sheikh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $398 in Kafr El Sheikh, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Kafr El Sheikh $398

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $652 in Kafr El Sheikh, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Kafr El Sheikh $652

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $906 in Kafr El Sheikh, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Kafr El Sheikh $906

Chiang Mai costs about 133% more than Kafr El Sheikh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Kafr El Sheikh are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Kafr El Sheikh 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿77.2

$3.87 E£214

-40.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿663

$14.78 E£816

32.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿189

$4.29 E£237

30.77%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.13 E£62.5

46.90%

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

$0.70 ฿23.62

$0.33 E£18.50

112.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.33

$0.12 E£6.60

158.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿81.2

$1.41 E£77.8

70.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿125

$1.23 E£67.9

201.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.9

$0.82 E£45.22

137.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.48

$0.33 E£18.40

327.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿44.04

$0.59 E£32.70

122.03%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿73.6

$1.20 E£66.4

81.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿562

$2.37 E£131

602.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿93.1

$3.66 E£202

-24.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿307

$7.57 E£418

20.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.7

$1.48 E£82.0

61.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.59

$0.55 E£30.22

87.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.9

$0.41 E£22.82

297.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.33 E£18.31

354.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.54

$0.42 E£23.29

207.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.38

$0.35 E£19.52

217.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.31

$0.26 E£14.18

176.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.76

$0.18 E£9.94

194.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿145

$1.80 E£99.4

139.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿605

$5.13 E£283

249.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿53.4

$1.04 E£57.7

51.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$1.62 E£89.3

75.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿29.14

$0.20 E£10.79

330.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,798

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.67

$0.29 E£16.04

317.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.17

$0.29 E£16.09

96.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.19 E£65.8

97.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿48.42

$0.44 E£24.34

227.27%

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

$20.7K ฿699.4K

$30.9K E£1.7M

-32.85%

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

$26.8K ฿904.2K

$24.5K E£1.4M

9.17%

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

$62.3 ฿2,103

$13.15 E£727

373.99%

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

$12.11 ฿409

$6.68 E£369

81.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿673

$9.62 E£531

107.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,251

$8.82 E£488

320.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿127

$3.81 E£211

-0.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿219

$3.80 E£210

71.05%

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

$793 ฿26.7K

$84.5 E£4,668

838.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿499.6K

$2,279 E£125.9K

549.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,813

$9.49 E£524

466.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿831

$46.90 E£2,591

-47.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,065

$156 E£8,612

-41.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,400

$18.79 E£1,038

278.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.4K

$130 E£7,157

251.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿10.0K

$72.2 E£3,987

312.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.6K

$248 E£13.7K

265.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.7K

$142 E£7,867

288.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿65.1K

$738 E£40.8K

161.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.7K

$387 E£21.4K

273.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

22.5

-75.24%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Kafr El Sheikh: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Kafr El Sheikh

$72 18.1% 75.8% $226

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Kafr El Sheikh

$105 26.3% 55.5% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Kafr El Sheikh

$104 26.1% 3.9% $4.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Kafr El Sheikh

$29 7.4% 68.8% $65

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Kafr El Sheikh

$69 17.3% 12.6% $9.9

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kafr El Sheikh

$2.5 * 0.6% 95.8% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kafr El Sheikh

$16 4.1% 67.2% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $130 in Kafr El Sheikh. 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 $20 in Chiang Mai versus $15 in Kafr El Sheikh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $105 – making Kafr El Sheikh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇬 Kafr El Sheikh

🕒 Local time

13:19 1:19 PM

09:19 9:19 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

194,569

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 EGP = 1.81 USD

100 EGP = 1.61 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.25 EGP (100 EGP = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.99 EGP (100 EGP = 1.61 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Kafr El Sheikh 6,900 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kafr El Sheikh

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 Kafr El Sheikh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 133% more than Kafr El Sheikh, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $597 in Kafr El Sheikh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kafr El Sheikh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $130 there versus $455 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Chiang Mai and $15 in Kafr El Sheikh. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 125% 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.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $925 in Chiang Mai and $398 in Kafr El Sheikh, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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