Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and M'Sila

For one person, living is cheaper in M’Sila: $461 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in M'Sila
Learn more

M'Sila Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

M'Sila

🇩🇿 Algeria

$461

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in M'Sila

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $461 in M’Sila, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
M'Sila $461

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $758 in M’Sila, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
M'Sila $758

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,055 in M’Sila, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
M'Sila $1,055

Chiang Mai costs about 103% more than M’Sila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and M’Sila are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, M’Sila 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$1.85 DZD 251

15.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$18.47 DZD 2,497

0.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$3.73 DZD 505

50.13%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.37 DZD 49.78

348.65%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$0.50 DZD 68.2

30.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.17 DZD 23.65

76.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$2.30 DZD 310

0.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.28 DZD 309

60.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$0.86 DZD 117

134.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$0.12 DZD 16.05

1075.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$1.15 DZD 156

20.87%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$1.23 DZD 166

92.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$2.94 DZD 398

461.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$3.90 DZD 528

-31.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$8.91 DZD 1,204

1.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$2.01 DZD 272

19.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$2.77 DZD 375

-62.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$1.11 DZD 150

49.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$0.56 DZD 76.0

178.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$0.47 DZD 63.6

163.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$0.28 DZD 37.66

289.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$0.13 DZD 16.96

484.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.25 DZD 33.51

104.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.75 DZD 372

49.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$6.61 DZD 893

171.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$1.26 DZD 171

28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$1.88 DZD 254

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$0.24 DZD 32.61

287.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$6.80 DZD 919

677.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$0.58 DZD 79.1

103.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.44 DZD 59.1

-61.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$5.47 DZD 740

-66.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$0.33 DZD 44.69

345.45%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$34.6K DZD 4.7M

-39.35%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$34.5K DZD 4.7M

-23.15%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$23.08 DZD 3,120

171.06%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$7.74 DZD 1,046

49.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$12.46 DZD 1,685

62.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$22.73 DZD 3,073

66.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$4.50 DZD 608

44.67%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$115 DZD 15.5K

534.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$6,386 DZD 863.3K

159.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$32.36 DZD 4,375

65.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$35.24 DZD 4,764

-29.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$69.5 DZD 9,395

30.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$79.8 DZD 10.8K

-9.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$147 DZD 19.8K

228.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$91.7 DZD 12.4K

238.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$275 DZD 37.2K

284.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$197 DZD 26.6K

235.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$984 DZD 133.0K

145.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$616 DZD 83.3K

161.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$240 DZD 32.5K

147.41%

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for M'Sila: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

M'Sila

$92 19.9% 70.4% $218

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

M'Sila

$137 29.7% 42.1% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

M'Sila

$98 21.2% 9.9% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

M'Sila

$43 9.4% 54.2% $51

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

M'Sila

$49 10.7% 35.7% $27

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

M'Sila

$11 2.3% 82% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

M'Sila

$32 6.9% 37.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $147 in M’Sila. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $18 in M’Sila. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $137 – making M’Sila the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇩🇿 M'Sila

🕒 Local time

03:18 3:18 AM

21:18 9:18 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

156,647

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.4 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.57 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.4 USD). 1 EUR = 152 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.57 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai M'Sila 9,190 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
M'Sila

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 M'Sila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 103% more than M’Sila, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $692 in M’Sila. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in M’Sila, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $147 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $115 in M’Sila. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 73% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward M’Sila – 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 M’Sila. 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.