Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kelibia

For one person, living is cheaper in Kelibia: $641 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Kelibia, Tunisia
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Kelibia
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$641
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $641 in Kelibia, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Kelibia $641

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,000 in Kelibia, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Kelibia $1,000

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,359 in Kelibia, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Kelibia $1,359

Chiang Mai costs about 46% more than Kelibia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Kelibia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.7
$2.75 TND 8.27
-18.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿642
$13.65 TND 41.13
39.19%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿188
$3.31 TND 9.96
67.67%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.6
$0.62 TND 1.86
169.35%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.56
$0.52 TND 1.56
23.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.32
$0.27 TND 0.82
14.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.6
$1.66 TND 5.00
42.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$1.69 TND 5.10
116.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Kelibia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.8
$0.42 TND 1.26
364.29%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.51
$0.17 TND 0.53
747.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.07
$1.84 TND 5.54
-27.72%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.1
$1.42 TND 4.29
60.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿556
$14.63 TND 44.06
12.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$6.17 TND 18.59
-54.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$14.85 TND 44.73
-37.31%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.5
$1.15 TND 3.47
104.35%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.82
$2.64 TND 7.96
-63.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$0.72 TND 2.16
122.22%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.7
$0.65 TND 1.97
130.77%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.15
$0.65 TND 1.96
96.92%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.22
$0.79 TND 2.38
39.24%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.84
$0.45 TND 1.36
57.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.38
$0.26 TND 0.78
88.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$3.38 TND 10.18
22.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿592
$5.01 TND 15.08
249.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$1.23 TND 3.71
30.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$1.36 TND 4.10
104.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Kelibia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.33
$0.35 TND 1.06
148.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,827
$10.02 TND 30.20
439.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.08
$0.31 TND 0.94
274.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.82
$0.33 TND 0.98
60.61%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.8
$4.07 TND 12.26
-40.54%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.93
$0.83 TND 2.49
74.70%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿711.2K
$40.0K TND 120.4K
-47.33%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿909.8K
$35.8K TND 107.9K
-24.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Kelibia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,100
$43.10 TND 130
44.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿411
$10.31 TND 31.05
18.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿680
$17.03 TND 51.3
18.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Kelibia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,260
$15.89 TND 47.85
134.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
$12.25 TND 36.90
-69.22%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$3.42 TND 10.29
89.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Kelibia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.9K
$61.5 TND 185
1096.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.6K
$1,926 TND 5,802
666.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Kelibia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,802
$46.80 TND 141
14.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿832
$67.0 TND 202
-63.21%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,089
$110 TND 330
-16.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,429
$67.1 TND 202
7.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Kelibia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$204 TND 616
135.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$157 TND 472
97.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿34.0K
$368 TND 1,107
173.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$270 TND 814
134.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.8K
$958 TND 2,886
146.71%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.7K
$612 TND 1,843
159.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Kelibia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
$236 TND 712
149.47%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
11
-49.36%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kelibia: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Kelibia
$157 49.3% $152
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Kelibia
$193 17.5% $41
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Kelibia
$131 20.3% $22
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Kelibia
$70 25.4% $24
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Kelibia
$54 30.2% $23
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Kelibia
$13 78.2% $48
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Kelibia
$23 54.8% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $204 in Kelibia. 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 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $14 in Kelibia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $193 – making Kelibia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇹🇳 Kelibia
🕒 Local time
04:50 4:50 AM
22:50 10:50 PM
6 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
58,491
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.01 TND (1 TND = 0.332 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Kelibia 8,590 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Kelibia

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 Kelibia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Kelibia?
Chiang Mai costs about 46% more than Kelibia, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Kelibia?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $962 in Kelibia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Kelibia?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Kelibia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $204 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Kelibia?
Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $62 in Kelibia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Kelibia?
Groceries cost about 21% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Kelibia – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Kelibia?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Chiang Mai or to Kelibia?
If budget matters most, go with Kelibia. 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.

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