Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Khor

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,552 in Khor, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Khor
Learn more

Khor Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Khor

🇶🇦 Qatar

$1,552

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,552 in Khor, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Khor $1,552

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,472 in Khor, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Khor $2,472

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,393 in Khor, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Khor $3,393

Chiang Mai is about 40% cheaper than Khor, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Khor is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$11.04 QAR 40.19

-80.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$70.9 QAR 258

-73.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$8.38 QAR 30.51

-33.17%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.16 QAR 44.27

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.68 QAR 49.80

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$6.06 QAR 22.07

-72.61%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$1.00 QAR 3.64

-35.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.44 QAR 1.59

-31.82%

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

$2.16 QAR 7.88

-6.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$1.39 QAR 5.07

1.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$1.86 QAR 6.78

-25.27%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$1.71 QAR 6.21

38.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$11.30 QAR 41.12

46.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$6.94 QAR 25.28

-61.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$11.54 QAR 42.02

-21.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$2.23 QAR 8.12

7.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.85 QAR 6.72

-43.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.62 QAR 5.89

2.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.06 QAR 3.86

47.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$0.92 QAR 3.36

34.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$0.80 QAR 2.90

36.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$0.70 QAR 2.54

8.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.42 QAR 1.54

21.43%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.54 QAR 34.71

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 QAR 6.99

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 QAR 8.43

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$6.34 QAR 23.07

-35.02%

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

$1.06 QAR 3.86

-12.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$1.88 QAR 6.86

-37.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$1.96 QAR 7.12

-91.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$13.92 QAR 50.7

-87.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$0.58 QAR 2.09

153.45%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$24.0K QAR 87.4K

-12.46%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$21.1K QAR 76.9K

25.55%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$92.1 QAR 335

-32.07%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$35.30 QAR 129

-67.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$89.0 QAR 324

-77.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$67.6 QAR 246

-43.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$12.56 QAR 45.71

-48.17%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$730 QAR 2,659

-0.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$16.8K QAR 61.1K

-1.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$62.8 QAR 229

-14.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$50.1 QAR 183

-50.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$99.3 QAR 361

-8.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$86.5 QAR 315

-16.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$893 QAR 3,251

-46.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$701 QAR 2,551

-55.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$1,663 QAR 6,054

-36.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$1,387 QAR 5,049

-52.52%

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

$2,876 QAR 10.5K

-79.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.92

-5.91%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Khor: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Khor

$701 45.2% 126% $391

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Khor

$199 12.9% 15.8% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Khor

$134 8.7% 24.1% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Khor

$216 13.9% 129% $122

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Khor

$192 12.4% 151% $115

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Khor

$16 * 1% 72.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Khor

$93 6% 82.1% $42

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 $893 in Khor. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Khor are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $71 in Khor. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $199 in Khor – so Khor wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇶🇦 Khor

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

07:06 7:06 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

7,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.244 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

QAR, 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).

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.1 QAR (1 QAR = 0.244 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Khor 4,920 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Khor

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 Khor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Khor costs about 66% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $2,327 in Khor. 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 $893 in Khor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $71 in Khor. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Khor – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,552 in Khor. 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 $1,552 in Khor. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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