Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ksar El Kebir

For one person, living is cheaper in Ksar El Kebir: $760 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Ksar El Kebir, Morocco
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Ksar El Kebir
🇲🇦 Morocco
$760
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Ksar El Kebir

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 Ksar El Kebir actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $760 in Ksar El Kebir, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Ksar El Kebir $760

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,177 in Ksar El Kebir, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Ksar El Kebir $1,177

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,593 in Ksar El Kebir, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Ksar El Kebir $1,593

Chiang Mai costs about 23% more than Ksar El Kebir, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Ksar El Kebir are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Ksar El Kebir 44% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Ksar El Kebir
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.6
$2.56 MAD 25.21
-12.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿641
$32.46 MAD 319
-41.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿187
$8.16 MAD 80.2
-31.99%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.5
$1.51 MAD 14.84
10.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.54
$0.43 MAD 4.18
48.84%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.31
$0.36 MAD 3.59
-13.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.5
$3.97 MAD 39.05
-40.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$5.64 MAD 55.4
-35.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Ksar El Kebir
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.7
$0.84 MAD 8.25
132.14%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.46
$0.84 MAD 8.22
71.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.03
$1.88 MAD 18.50
-29.26%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.1
$1.91 MAD 18.75
19.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿555
$10.79 MAD 106
52.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿93.9
$7.07 MAD 69.5
-60.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$12.09 MAD 119
-22.99%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.4
$1.66 MAD 16.35
41.57%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.79
$1.53 MAD 15.06
-36.60%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$0.77 MAD 7.55
107.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$0.69 MAD 6.81
117.39%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.11
$0.63 MAD 6.21
103.17%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.18
$0.64 MAD 6.28
71.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.82
$0.45 MAD 4.40
57.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.36
$0.51 MAD 4.99
-3.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$3.97 MAD 39.04
4.28%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿591
$8.10 MAD 79.7
116.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$2.32 MAD 22.81
-30.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿93.9
$3.13 MAD 30.74
-11.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Ksar El Kebir
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.30
$0.49 MAD 4.85
77.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,825
$19.97 MAD 196
170.86%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.04
$0.80 MAD 7.86
45.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.80
$0.30 MAD 2.91
76.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.7
$4.59 MAD 45.13
-47.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.88
$1.49 MAD 14.62
-2.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿710.5K
$30.6K MAD 300.8K
-31.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿909.0K
$31.6K MAD 310.6K
-14.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Ksar El Kebir
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,098
$50.3 MAD 494
23.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿411
$9.74 MAD 95.8
24.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿679
$41.26 MAD 406
-51.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Ksar El Kebir
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,259
$26.51 MAD 261
40.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
$18.10 MAD 178
-79.17%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$7.57 MAD 74.4
-14.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Ksar El Kebir
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.8K
$99.0 MAD 973
643.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.2K
$5,596 MAD 55.0K
163.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Ksar El Kebir
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,801
$59.3 MAD 583
-9.97%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿831
$44.51 MAD 438
-44.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,087
$92.5 MAD 909
-1.11%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,427
$58.2 MAD 572
23.52%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Ksar El Kebir
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$233 MAD 2,291
106.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$176 MAD 1,730
75.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿33.9K
$460 MAD 4,519
118.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$264 MAD 2,592
140.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.7K
$1,010 MAD 9,929
133.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.6K
$706 MAD 6,935
125.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Ksar El Kebir
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
4.83
15.32%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ksar El Kebir: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Ksar El Kebir
$176 43% $133
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Ksar El Kebir
$205 12.5% $29
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Ksar El Kebir
$115 5.4% $5.9
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Ksar El Kebir
$101 7.2% $6.8
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Ksar El Kebir
$97 25.6% $20
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Ksar El Kebir
$24 60.5% $37
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Ksar El Kebir
$42 17.2% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $233 in Ksar El Kebir. 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 $32 in Ksar El Kebir. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $205 in Ksar El Kebir – so Ksar El Kebir wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇲🇦 Ksar El Kebir
🕒 Local time
19:40 7:40 PM
12:40 12:40 PM
7 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
126,617
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.83 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.98 MAD (100 MAD = 9.11 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Ksar El Kebir 10,100 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Ksar El Kebir

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 Ksar El Kebir: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Ksar El Kebir?
Chiang Mai costs about 23% more than Ksar El Kebir, 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 Ksar El Kebir?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,140 in Ksar El Kebir. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Ksar El Kebir?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ksar El Kebir, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $233 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Ksar El Kebir?
Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $99 in Ksar El Kebir. 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 Ksar El Kebir?
Groceries cost about 14% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Ksar El Kebir – 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 Ksar El Kebir?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

Chiang Mai vs other spots: cost of living compared

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