Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Khamis Mushayt

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,113 in Khamis Mushayt, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
56

Cost of Living Index in Khamis Mushayt
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Khamis Mushayt Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Khamis Mushayt

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,113

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Khamis Mushayt

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,113 in Khamis Mushayt, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Khamis Mushayt $1,113

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,645 in Khamis Mushayt, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Khamis Mushayt $1,645

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,178 in Khamis Mushayt, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Khamis Mushayt $2,178

Chiang Mai is about 16% cheaper than Khamis Mushayt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Chiang Mai and Khamis Mushayt are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Khamis Mushayt 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$4.56 SAR 17.11

-53.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$32.11 SAR 121

-42.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$6.89 SAR 25.87

-18.72%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 SAR 6.47

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 SAR 7.97

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.94 SAR 11.04

-43.54%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$0.68 SAR 2.56

-4.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.21 SAR 0.79

42.86%

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

$1.63 SAR 6.11

23.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$0.39 SAR 1.46

261.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$3.28 SAR 12.31

-57.62%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$2.43 SAR 9.11

-2.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$6.41 SAR 24.06

157.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$5.54 SAR 20.80

-51.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$12.76 SAR 47.89

-29.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$2.23 SAR 8.35

7.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.69 SAR 6.33

-38.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.60 SAR 6.02

3.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.61 SAR 6.02

-3.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$1.21 SAR 4.56

2.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$1.31 SAR 4.91

-16.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$1.29 SAR 4.83

-41.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.52 SAR 1.96

-1.92%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.60 SAR 9.76

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 SAR 6.65

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 SAR 8.23

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$6.81 SAR 25.56

-39.50%

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

$0.92 SAR 3.47

1.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

$35.04 SAR 132

50.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$2.69 SAR 10.09

-56.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$1.90 SAR 7.14

-91.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$13.69 SAR 51.4

-86.78%

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

$32.9K SAR 123.6K

-36.19%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$22.5K SAR 84.3K

18.02%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$103 SAR 386

-39.11%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$32.00 SAR 120

-63.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$59.3 SAR 223

-65.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$77.6 SAR 291

-51.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$13.30 SAR 49.94

-51.05%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$443 SAR 1,662

64.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$10.2K SAR 38.2K

62.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$42.84 SAR 161

24.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$62.1 SAR 233

-60.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$100 SAR 375

-9.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$86.1 SAR 323

-16.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$484 SAR 1,818

-0.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$355 SAR 1,334

-12.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$939 SAR 3,524

12.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$551 SAR 2,069

19.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$2,026 SAR 7,606

19.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$1,134 SAR 4,258

41.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$1,567 SAR 5,880

-62.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.54

0.54%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Khamis Mushayt: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Khamis Mushayt

$355 31.9% 14.6% $45

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Khamis Mushayt

$182 16.3% 23.3% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Khamis Mushayt

$131 11.8% 20.9% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Khamis Mushayt

$194 17.4% 105% $100

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Khamis Mushayt

$96 8.6% 25.4% $19

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Khamis Mushayt

$51 4.6% 13.2% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Khamis Mushayt

$104 9.4% 105% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $484 in Khamis Mushayt. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Khamis Mushayt are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $32 in Khamis Mushayt. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $182 in Khamis Mushayt – so Khamis Mushayt wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇦 Khamis Mushayt

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

09:47 9:47 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

430,828

💱 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 Khamis Mushayt 5,900 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Khamis Mushayt

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 Khamis Mushayt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Khamis Mushayt costs about 19% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. 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 $1,670 in Khamis Mushayt. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $481 in Chiang Mai and $484 in Khamis Mushayt. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $443 in Khamis Mushayt. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 23% cheaper in Khamis Mushayt – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,113 in Khamis Mushayt. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,113 in Khamis Mushayt. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Khamis Mushayt makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.