Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Luxor

For one person, living is cheaper in Luxor: $483 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Other living expenses 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 Luxor
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Luxor Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Luxor

🇪🇬 Egypt

$483

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $483 in Luxor, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Luxor $483

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $736 in Luxor, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Luxor $736

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $988 in Luxor, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Luxor $988

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

Both Chiang Mai and Luxor are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Luxor 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$3.73 E£199

-39.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$39.18 E£2,092

-51.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$3.76 E£201

48.67%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.35 E£72.0

27.41%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.29 E£15.61

120.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.15 E£8.27

120.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.85 E£98.6

27.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.04 E£162

28.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$0.81 E£43.41

153.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.64 E£34.11

118.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$0.60 E£32.13

113.33%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.90 E£101

18.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$3.26 E£174

419.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$5.77 E£308

-52.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$9.91 E£529

-5.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.42 E£75.8

69.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$0.51 E£27.45

98.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$0.40 E£21.34

302.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$0.42 E£22.37

261.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.34 E£18.27

276.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.40 E£21.18

177.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.27 E£14.25

166.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.19 E£9.95

173.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$1.49 E£79.8

190.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$7.28 E£389

143.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.26 E£67.4

29.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.74 E£93.0

63.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.06 E£3.18

1316.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$0.90 E£48.32

30.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.19 E£10.31

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$1.95 E£104

21.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.46 E£24.31

215.22%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$32.4K E£1.7M

-36.83%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$19.1K E£1.0M

39.00%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$25.29 E£1,351

146.46%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$2.82 E£150

335.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$6.26 E£334

219.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$9.78 E£522

-61.55%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$3.50 E£187

91.71%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$99.2 E£5,298

703.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$598 E£31.9K

2380.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$20.22 E£1,080

163.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$33.85 E£1,808

-26.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$28.23 E£1,508

160.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$125 E£6,660

272.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$192 E£10.3K

58.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$254 E£13.6K

260.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$180 E£9,632

206.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$66.8 E£3,566

791.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Luxor: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Luxor

$192 39.8% 36.9% $113

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Luxor

$136 28.2% 42.7% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Luxor

$37 * 7.7% 66.2% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Luxor

$34 7.1% 63.7% $60

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Luxor

$74 15.4% 5.8% $4.6

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Luxor

$2.1 * 0.4% 96.6% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Luxor

$7 * 1.5% 86.4% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $125 in Luxor. 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 791% 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $39.00 in Luxor. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $136 in Luxor – so Luxor wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇬 Luxor

🕒 Local time

22:15 10:15 PM

18:15 6:15 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

451,318

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Luxor 6,800 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Luxor

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 Luxor: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 94% more than Luxor, 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $725 in Luxor. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Luxor, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $39.00 in Luxor. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 75% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Luxor, where all-in costs run around $483, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Luxor 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. Luxor costs $483 versus $938 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 Luxor. 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.