Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Maale Adumim

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $3,006 in Maale Adumim, rent and utilities included – about $24,800 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
143

Cost of Living Index in Maale Adumim
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Maale Adumim Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Maale Adumim

🇮🇱 Israel

$3,006

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Maale Adumim

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,006 in Maale Adumim, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Maale Adumim $3,006

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,385 in Maale Adumim, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Maale Adumim $4,385

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,764 in Maale Adumim, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Maale Adumim $5,764

Chiang Mai is about 69% cheaper than Maale Adumim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Maale Adumim is 121% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$23.20 ₪72.4

-90.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$97.5 ₪304

-80.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$19.12 ₪59.6

-70.97%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$4.77 ₪14.88

-64.99%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$3.58 ₪11.16

-82.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$2.90 ₪9.03

-89.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$7.86 ₪24.52

-69.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$10.11 ₪31.53

-63.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.51 ₪7.81

-22.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$3.32 ₪10.35

-56.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$3.47 ₪10.81

-61.67%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$5.21 ₪16.26

-56.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$21.80 ₪68.0

-24.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$15.51 ₪48.37

-82.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$25.51 ₪79.6

-63.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$4.21 ₪13.15

-44.18%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$3.79 ₪11.82

-74.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$2.48 ₪7.73

-35.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.32 ₪7.24

-35.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.89 ₪5.88

-32.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.90 ₪5.92

-42.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$2.73 ₪8.51

-73.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$2.31 ₪7.19

-78.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$13.82 ₪43.09

-70.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$16.28 ₪50.8

7.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$3.70 ₪11.55

-56.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$4.66 ₪14.54

-40.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$2.55 ₪7.97

-65.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$99.6 ₪311

-45.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$4.23 ₪13.19

-72.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$1.24 ₪3.85

-57.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$19.30 ₪60.2

-87.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$2.60 ₪8.11

-44.23%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$55.0K ₪171.6K

-61.73%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$54.7K ₪170.5K

-50.72%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$450 ₪1,403

-86.18%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$11.18 ₪34.87

8.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$39.35 ₪123

-48.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$79.9 ₪249

-53.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$15.64 ₪48.77

-58.50%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$1,420 ₪4,429

-48.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$28.4K ₪88.6K

-48.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$126 ₪392

-57.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$84.8 ₪265

-70.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$148 ₪462

-38.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$163 ₪510

-55.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,463 ₪4,561

-67.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,168 ₪3,642

-73.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$2,303 ₪7,181

-56.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$1,885 ₪5,880

-66.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$9,184 ₪28.6K

-74.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$7,929 ₪24.7K

-79.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,287 ₪7,131

-74.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.03

10.74%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Maale Adumim: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Maale Adumim

$1.2K 38.8% 278% $859

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Maale Adumim

$486 16.2% 108% $252

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Maale Adumim

$235 7.8% 116% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Maale Adumim

$500 16.7% 430% $406

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Maale Adumim

$386 12.8% 397% $308

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Maale Adumim

$120 4% 95.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Maale Adumim

$111 3.7% 121% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,463 in Maale Adumim. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Maale Adumim are about 3.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $98 in Maale Adumim. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $486 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇱 Maale Adumim

🕒 Local time

08:20 8:20 AM

03:20 3:20 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.288 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ILS, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.12 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.47 ILS (1 ILS = 0.288 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Maale Adumim 6,480 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Maale Adumim

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 Maale Adumim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maale Adumim costs about 221% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $4,509 in Maale Adumim. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,463 in Maale Adumim.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,420 in Maale Adumim. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 107% more in Maale Adumim, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $3,006 in Maale Adumim. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Maale Adumim makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.