Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kairouan

For one person, living is cheaper in Kairouan: $634 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Kairouan
Learn more

Kairouan Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Kairouan

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $634 in Kairouan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Kairouan $634

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $975 in Kairouan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Kairouan $975

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,315 in Kairouan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Kairouan $1,315

Chiang Mai costs about 48% more than Kairouan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Kairouan are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kairouan 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.71 TND 8.14

-17.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$16.14 TND 48.49

17.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.10 TND 18.33

-9.02%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$0.98 TND 2.95

70.41%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.85 TND 2.56

-24.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.35 TND 1.05

-11.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.71 TND 5.14

38.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.65 TND 7.96

38.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.49 TND 1.48

297.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.09 TND 0.27

1500.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.72 TND 5.16

-22.67%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.52 TND 4.58

50.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$9.89 TND 29.70

66.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$5.52 TND 16.57

-49.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.96 TND 35.93

-22.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.14 TND 6.44

9.81%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$2.27 TND 6.83

-57.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.16 TND 3.48

37.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.81 TND 2.44

85.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.65 TND 1.94

96.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.64 TND 1.93

71.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.50 TND 1.49

42.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.24 TND 0.72

104.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.33 TND 9.99

24.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.74 TND 20.26

159.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.23 TND 3.69

30.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.46 TND 4.37

90.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.33 TND 0.98

163.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$9.96 TND 29.93

443.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.29 TND 0.87

300.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.31 TND 0.94

70.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$1.78 TND 5.36

35.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.77 TND 2.32

88.31%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$38.9K TND 116.8K

-45.83%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$36.5K TND 109.8K

-26.26%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$59.9 TND 180

3.82%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$8.65 TND 25.99

40.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$19.80 TND 59.5

1.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$23.85 TND 71.7

56.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$12.24 TND 36.78

-69.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.78 TND 14.35

35.77%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$106 TND 319

593.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$3,181 TND 9,558

364.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$23.41 TND 70.4

127.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$61.7 TND 185

-60.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$46.11 TND 139

98.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$84.3 TND 253

-14.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$118 TND 355

307.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$156 TND 470

97.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$366 TND 1,099

175.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$269 TND 808

135.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$963 TND 2,893

145.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$621 TND 1,864

156.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$328 TND 986

79.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.65

-47.70%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kairouan: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Kairouan

$156 24.7% 49.4% $153

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Kairouan

$176 27.7% 25.1% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Kairouan

$97 15.3% 10.7% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kairouan

$88 13.9% 6.5% $6.1

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Kairouan

$70 11.1% 9.2% $7.1

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kairouan

$13 2.1% 78.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kairouan

$33 5.3% 33.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $118 in Kairouan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 80% 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 $16 in Kairouan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $176 – making Kairouan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇳 Kairouan

🕒 Local time

09:08 9:08 AM

03:08 3:08 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

139,070

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 TND = 0.333 USD

1 TND = 0.298 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, 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 = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3 TND (1 TND = 0.333 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Kairouan 8,710 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kairouan

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 Kairouan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 48% more than Kairouan, 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 $951 in Kairouan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kairouan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $118 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $106 in Kairouan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $634 in Kairouan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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