Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ksar Hellal

For one person, living is cheaper in Ksar Hellal: $700 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Ksar Hellal, Tunisia
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Ksar Hellal
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$700
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Ksar Hellal

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $700 in Ksar Hellal, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Ksar Hellal $700

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,099 in Ksar Hellal, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Ksar Hellal $1,099

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,499 in Ksar Hellal, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Ksar Hellal $1,499

Chiang Mai costs about 34% more than Ksar Hellal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Ksar Hellal are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Ksar Hellal 49% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Ksar Hellal
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.7
$4.66 TND 14.05
-51.93%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿642
$21.39 TND 64.4
-11.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿188
$5.93 TND 17.85
-6.41%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.6
$1.05 TND 3.18
59.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.56
$0.75 TND 2.25
-14.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.32
$0.34 TND 1.03
-8.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.6
$1.70 TND 5.13
38.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$1.71 TND 5.16
114.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Ksar Hellal
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.8
$0.48 TND 1.45
306.25%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.51
$0.14 TND 0.41
928.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.07
$1.25 TND 3.76
6.40%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.1
$1.65 TND 4.96
38.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿556
$9.87 TND 29.72
66.67%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$5.76 TND 17.35
-51.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$14.39 TND 43.34
-35.30%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.5
$1.96 TND 5.89
19.90%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.82
$3.61 TND 10.88
-73.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$1.02 TND 3.08
56.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.7
$0.70 TND 2.12
114.29%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.15
$0.80 TND 2.41
60.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.22
$0.61 TND 1.82
80.33%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.84
$0.43 TND 1.31
65.12%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.38
$0.31 TND 0.92
58.06%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$3.71 TND 11.18
11.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿592
$5.95 TND 17.93
194.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$1.08 TND 3.25
49.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$1.13 TND 3.40
146.02%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Ksar Hellal
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.33
$0.33 TND 0.99
163.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,827
$10.12 TND 30.48
434.49%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.08
$0.29 TND 0.87
300.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.82
$0.29 TND 0.86
82.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.8
$1.84 TND 5.54
31.52%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.93
$0.88 TND 2.66
64.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿711.2K
$40.1K TND 120.7K
-47.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿909.8K
$36.7K TND 110.6K
-26.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Ksar Hellal
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,100
$61.6 TND 185
0.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿411
$8.76 TND 26.38
38.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿680
$19.52 TND 58.8
3.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Ksar Hellal
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,260
$26.77 TND 80.7
39.37%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
$12.63 TND 38.03
-70.15%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$6.14 TND 18.50
5.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Ksar Hellal
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.9K
$94.6 TND 285
678.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.6K
$3,123 TND 9,407
372.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Ksar Hellal
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,802
$44.16 TND 133
20.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿832
$59.6 TND 179
-58.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,089
$99.7 TND 300
-8.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,429
$83.9 TND 253
-14.20%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Ksar Hellal
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$209 TND 629
130.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$157 TND 474
96.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿34.0K
$375 TND 1,131
167.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$275 TND 830
129.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.8K
$938 TND 2,826
151.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.7K
$606 TND 1,826
162.12%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Ksar Hellal
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
$306 TND 923
92.51%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
10.65
-47.70%

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 Hellal: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Ksar Hellal
$157 49.1% $152
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Ksar Hellal
$187 20.2% $47
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Ksar Hellal
$129 19% $21
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Ksar Hellal
$90 4.9% $4.6
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Ksar Hellal
$84 8.3% $6.5
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Ksar Hellal
$13 78.6% $48
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Ksar Hellal
$39 22.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $209 in Ksar Hellal. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 93% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $21 in Ksar Hellal. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $187 in Ksar Hellal – so Ksar Hellal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇹🇳 Ksar Hellal
🕒 Local time
00:59 12:59 AM
18:59 6:59 PM
6 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
55,415
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.01 TND (1 TND = 0.332 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Ksar Hellal 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Ksar Hellal

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 Hellal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Ksar Hellal?
Chiang Mai costs about 34% more than Ksar Hellal, 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 Hellal?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,049 in Ksar Hellal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Ksar Hellal?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ksar Hellal, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $209 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Ksar Hellal?
Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $95 in Ksar Hellal. 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 Hellal?
Groceries cost about 25% 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.
Can you live on $800/month in Chiang Mai or in Ksar Hellal?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Ksar Hellal, where all-in costs run around $700, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Ksar Hellal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Ksar Hellal – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Chiang Mai or to Ksar Hellal?
If budget matters most, go with Ksar Hellal. 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.

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