Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Laghouat

For one person, living is cheaper in Laghouat: $497 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities 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 Laghouat
Learn more

Laghouat Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Laghouat

🇩🇿 Algeria

$497

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $497 in Laghouat, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Laghouat $497

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $815 in Laghouat, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Laghouat $815

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,134 in Laghouat, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Laghouat $1,134

Chiang Mai costs about 88% more than Laghouat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Laghouat are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Laghouat 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$3.50 DZD 471

-36.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$20.58 DZD 2,772

-7.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$4.55 DZD 613

21.98%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$0.99 DZD 134

68.69%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.61 DZD 81.7

4.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.16 DZD 21.16

93.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.50 DZD 203

57.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.18 DZD 294

67.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.01 DZD 136

93.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.12 DZD 16.47

1100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.47 DZD 333

-46.15%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.76 DZD 237

29.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$4.39 DZD 591

274.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$5.52 DZD 744

-49.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.99 DZD 2,018

-37.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.78 DZD 509

-37.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$3.52 DZD 475

-72.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.11 DZD 284

-24.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.02 DZD 137

47.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.57 DZD 77.0

124.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.56 DZD 75.8

96.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.54 DZD 72.5

31.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.29 DZD 38.93

68.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.32 DZD 312

78.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$6.58 DZD 886

166.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.29 DZD 173

24.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.89 DZD 255

47.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.10 DZD 12.95

770.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$6.83 DZD 919

691.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.78 DZD 105

48.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.31 DZD 41.72

70.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.13 DZD 826

-60.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.37 DZD 49.30

291.89%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$29.5K DZD 4.0M

-28.50%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$43.8K DZD 5.9M

-38.52%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$36.65 DZD 4,935

69.63%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$6.15 DZD 828

97.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$15.70 DZD 2,115

28.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$13.58 DZD 1,829

174.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.40 DZD 592

47.50%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$57.3 DZD 7,714

1185.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$4,804 DZD 646.9K

207.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$27.91 DZD 3,758

91.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$33.05 DZD 4,451

-25.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$54.5 DZD 7,345

67.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$69.7 DZD 9,392

3.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$97.4 DZD 13.1K

394.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$54.9 DZD 7,387

463.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$157 DZD 21.2K

538.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$107 DZD 14.4K

492.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$437 DZD 58.8K

440.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$288 DZD 38.8K

451.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$350 DZD 47.2K

68.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.3

5.09%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Laghouat: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Laghouat

$55 11.1% 82.2% $254

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Laghouat

$199 40.2% 14.9% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Laghouat

$83 16.8% 23.3% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Laghouat

$59 11.8% 38.1% $36

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Laghouat

$69 13.8% 11.7% $9.1

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Laghouat

$9.5 1.9% 84.5% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Laghouat

$22 4.5% 55.5% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $97 in Laghouat. 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 68% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $21 in Laghouat. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $199 in Laghouat – so Laghouat wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇩🇿 Laghouat

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

01:14 1:14 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

144,747

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.43 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.43 USD). 1 EUR = 150 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.67 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Laghouat 9,400 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Laghouat

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 Laghouat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 88% more than Laghouat, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $745 in Laghouat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Laghouat, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $97 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $57 in Laghouat. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Laghouat – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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