Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Lusail

For one person, living is cheaper in Lusail: $753 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Lusail
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Lusail Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Lusail

🇶🇦 Qatar

$753

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $753 in Lusail, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Lusail $753

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,277 in Lusail, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Lusail $1,277

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,800 in Lusail, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Lusail $1,800

Chiang Mai costs about 24% more than Lusail, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$8.19 QAR 29.81

-73.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$69.1 QAR 252

-73.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$8.37 QAR 30.46

-33.09%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.11 QAR 29.52

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.60 QAR 34.93

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$5.50 QAR 20.00

-69.82%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$0.79 QAR 2.86

-17.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.28 QAR 1.03

7.14%

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

$2.10 QAR 7.64

-3.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$1.37 QAR 4.99

2.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$1.38 QAR 5.02

0.72%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$3.22 QAR 11.73

-26.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$11.30 QAR 41.12

46.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$8.45 QAR 30.77

-68.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$11.51 QAR 41.88

-21.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$2.26 QAR 8.22

6.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.77 QAR 6.44

-41.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.64 QAR 5.95

1.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$0.52 QAR 1.91

200.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$0.52 QAR 1.90

138.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$0.53 QAR 1.92

105.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$1.44 QAR 5.26

-47.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.50 QAR 1.84

2.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.80 QAR 35.68

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 QAR 7.18

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 QAR 8.30

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$6.67 QAR 24.26

-38.23%

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

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$1.96 QAR 7.12

-39.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$1.88 QAR 6.84

-90.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$13.81 QAR 50.3

-86.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$0.59 QAR 2.13

149.15%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$24.1K QAR 87.7K

-12.82%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$21.6K QAR 78.6K

22.77%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$90.5 QAR 330

-30.90%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$34.47 QAR 125

-66.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$89.0 QAR 324

-77.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$12.30 QAR 44.78

-47.07%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$732 QAR 2,665

-0.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$16.8K QAR 61.3K

-1.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$62.6 QAR 228

-14.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$48.66 QAR 177

-49.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$98.1 QAR 357

-7.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$85.2 QAR 310

-15.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

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

$1,365 QAR 4,969

-56.43%

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 Lusail: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Lusail

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Lusail

$209 27.8% 11.5% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Lusail

$133 17.6% 22.4% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Lusail

$214 28.4% 127% $120

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Lusail

$161 21.4% 110% $84

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Lusail

$11 * 1.5% 80.6% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Lusail

$25 * 3.3% 51.7% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Lusail are about 2.3 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $69 in Lusail. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $209 in Lusail – so Lusail wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇶🇦 Lusail

🕒 Local time

11:18 11:18 AM

07:18 7:18 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

198,600

💱 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

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Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Lusail

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 Lusail: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 24% more than Lusail, 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 $1,129 in Lusail. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $69 in Lusail. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $753 in Lusail, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Lusail costs $753 versus $935 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.