Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Latakia

For one person, living is cheaper in Latakia: $478 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Latakia
Learn more

Latakia Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Latakia

🇸🇾 Syria

$478

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $478 in Latakia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Latakia $478

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $790 in Latakia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Latakia $790

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,103 in Latakia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Latakia $1,103

Chiang Mai costs about 94% more than Latakia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Latakia are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Latakia 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$5.12 SYP 623

-55.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$29.68 SYP 3,607

-33.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$5.36 SYP 652

4.66%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.00 SYP 121

66.00%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.93 SYP 113

-24.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.80 SYP 97.3

-61.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$0.99 SYP 120

143.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$3.07 SYP 373

20.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$0.93 SYP 113

109.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.38 SYP 46.67

271.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.17 SYP 142

11.97%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.46 SYP 178

49.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$3.95 SYP 481

321.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$5.01 SYP 608

-44.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$14.20 SYP 1,726

-35.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$0.87 SYP 106

174.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.12 SYP 137

-8.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.73 SYP 89.3

123.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$0.68 SYP 82.3

120.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.69 SYP 83.4

86.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.80 SYP 97.0

38.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.43 SYP 52.7

67.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.66 SYP 80.7

-19.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$2.71 SYP 329

59.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$3.98 SYP 484

351.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.29 SYP 156

22.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.33 SYP 283

21.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.08 SYP 9.56

975.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.97 SYP 118

24.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.59 SYP 71.2

-3.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$5.05 SYP 613

-53.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.05 SYP 128

37.14%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$14.8K SYP 1.8M

40.00%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$19.1K SYP 2.3M

40.41%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$67.4 SYP 8,190

-7.52%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$7.38 SYP 897

64.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$33.47 SYP 4,068

-40.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$13.77 SYP 1,674

169.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$9.79 SYP 1,190

-61.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$1.17 SYP 143

455.56%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$40.53 SYP 4,925

1855.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$1,493 SYP 181.5K

891.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$25.88 SYP 3,145

107.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$19.18 SYP 2,331

28.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$41.90 SYP 5,091

116.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$39.84 SYP 4,842

78.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$89.1 SYP 10.8K

411.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$52.2 SYP 6,339

470.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$245 SYP 29.8K

270.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$127 SYP 15.4K

335.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$705 SYP 85.7K

173.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$250 SYP 30.4K

476.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$58.5 SYP 7,108

910.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

14.25

-60.91%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Latakia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Latakia

$52 10.9% 82.5% $246

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Latakia

$153 32% 35% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Latakia

$57 11.9% 47.2% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Latakia

$108 22.7% 14.7% $14

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Latakia

$87 18.2% 10.8% $8.5

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Latakia

$4.2 * 0.9% 93.1% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Latakia

$16 3.4% 67.8% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $89.1 in Latakia. 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 910% 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $30.00 in Latakia. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $153 in Latakia – so Latakia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇾 Latakia

🕒 Local time

20:59 8:59 PM

16:59 4:59 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

383,786

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Latakia 6,420 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Latakia

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 Latakia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 94% more than Latakia, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $717 in Latakia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Latakia, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $30.00 in Latakia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 54% 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.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Latakia, where all-in costs run around $478, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Latakia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Latakia costs $478 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Latakia. 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.