Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Khartoum

For one person, living is cheaper in Khartoum: $503 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Khartoum
Learn more

Khartoum Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Khartoum

🇸🇩 Sudan

$503

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $503 in Khartoum, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Khartoum $503

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $673 in Khartoum, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Khartoum $673

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $843 in Khartoum, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Khartoum $843

Chiang Mai costs about 86% more than Khartoum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Khartoum are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Khartoum 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.29 SDG 1,370

-2.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$13.94 SDG 8,345

36.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$2.67 SDG 1,597

107.87%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 SDG 1,439

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 SDG 1,287

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.86 SDG 1,715

-41.61%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.49 SDG 291

30.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.39 SDG 232

-20.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.33 SDG 796

46.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.37 SDG 821

5.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.39 SDG 831

-4.32%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.69 SDG 2,207

-38.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.34 SDG 2,599

-35.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$4.34 SDG 2,597

-45.85%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.02 SDG 613

-4.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.53 SDG 913

4.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.67 SDG 997

-10.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.00 SDG 600

28.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.77 SDG 459

42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.57 SDG 342

24.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.57 SDG 339

-14.04%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.96 SDG 2,373

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 SDG 467

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 SDG 1,004

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.86 SDG 1,114

122.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.71 SDG 426

22.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$3.79 SDG 2,268

-69.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$5.02 SDG 3,005

-51.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.15 SDG 688

26.09%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$4,966 SDG 3.0M

324.09%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$9,937 SDG 5.9M

171.11%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$70.3 SDG 42.1K

-11.59%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$9.71 SDG 5,809

25.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$32.34 SDG 19.4K

-37.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$7.79 SDG 4,661

378.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.05 SDG 2,425

60.25%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$113 SDG 67.3K

554.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$2,744 SDG 1.6M

438.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$8.66 SDG 5,183

184.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$547 SDG 327.6K

-11.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$175 SDG 104.7K

76.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,259 SDG 753.4K

-20.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$161 SDG 96.3K

293.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,054 SDG 631.0K

124.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,003 SDG 600.4K

58.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$242 SDG 145.0K

143.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-81.43%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Khartoum: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Khartoum

$175 34.8% 43.4% $134

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Khartoum

$125 * 24.8% 46.7% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Khartoum

$3.9 * 0.8% 96.4% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Khartoum

$112 22.4% 19% $18

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Khartoum

$64 12.8% 17.3% $13

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Khartoum

$6.6 * 1.3% 89.2% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Khartoum

$16 3.2% 68.4% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $547 in Khartoum. 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 2.4 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 Khartoum. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $125 – making Khartoum the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇩 Khartoum

🕒 Local time

01:21 1:21 AM

20:21 8:21 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,682,431 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Sudanese Pound SDG £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 SDG = 1.67 USD

1,000 SDG = 1.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SDG, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Sudanese Pound exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 599 SDG (1,000 SDG = 1.67 USD). 1 EUR = 667 SDG (1,000 SDG = 1.5 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Khartoum 7,030 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Khartoum

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 Khartoum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 86% more than Khartoum, 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 $754 in Khartoum. 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 $482 there versus $547 in Khartoum.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $14 in Khartoum. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 88% 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.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $503 in Khartoum to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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