Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Khafji

For one person, living is cheaper in Khafji: $667 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Khafji
Learn more

Khafji Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Khafji

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$667

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $667 in Khafji, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Khafji $667

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,050 in Khafji, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Khafji $1,050

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,434 in Khafji, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Khafji $1,434

Chiang Mai costs about 40% more than Khafji, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Khafji are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Khafji 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$3.18 SAR 11.92

-33.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$35.01 SAR 131

-46.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$4.91 SAR 18.44

14.05%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.91 SAR 3.42

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 SAR 5.87

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.94 SAR 11.05

-43.54%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$0.77 SAR 2.90

-15.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.20 SAR 0.77

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$1.81 SAR 6.80

11.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$1.34 SAR 5.04

5.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$1.86 SAR 6.97

-25.27%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$2.18 SAR 8.18

8.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$7.28 SAR 27.34

126.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$7.80 SAR 29.29

-65.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$13.01 SAR 48.83

-30.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$2.26 SAR 8.49

6.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.71 SAR 6.43

-39.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.62 SAR 6.09

2.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.55 SAR 5.81

0.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$1.12 SAR 4.19

10.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$1.15 SAR 4.32

-5.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$1.26 SAR 4.73

-39.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.57 SAR 2.15

-10.53%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.07 SAR 15.28

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SAR 5.41

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 SAR 8.37

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$7.52 SAR 28.24

-45.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$2.20 SAR 8.27

-46.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$1.36 SAR 5.09

-87.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$13.97 SAR 52.4

-87.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$0.64 SAR 2.42

129.69%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$29.0K SAR 109.0K

-27.67%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$21.7K SAR 81.4K

22.21%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$127 SAR 478

-50.92%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$33.36 SAR 125

-65.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$64.2 SAR 241

-68.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$13.42 SAR 50.4

-51.49%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$135 SAR 506

439.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$4,038 SAR 15.2K

310.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$42.09 SAR 158

27.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$48.50 SAR 182

-48.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$97.0 SAR 364

-6.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$91.2 SAR 342

-21.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$670 SAR 2,515

-28.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.9

-5.59%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Khafji: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Khafji

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Khafji

$201 30.2% 15.1% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Khafji

$125 18.8% 15.8% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Khafji

$225 33.7% 138% $131

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Khafji

$79 11.9% 3.7% $2.8

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Khafji

$9 * 1.4% 84.7% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Khafji

$27 * 4% 47.2% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $670 in Khafji. 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $35 in Khafji. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $201 in Khafji – so Khafji wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇦 Khafji

🕒 Local time

11:25 11:25 AM

07:25 7:25 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

67,012

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.23 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Khafji 5,220 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Khafji

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 Khafji: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 40% more than Khafji, 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 $1,000 in Khafji. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $670 in Khafji.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $35 in Khafji. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $667 in Khafji to $935 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.