Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Madaba

For one person, living is cheaper in Madaba: $762 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Madaba
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Madaba Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Madaba

🇯🇴 Jordan

$762

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $762 in Madaba, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Madaba $762

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,347 in Madaba, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Madaba $1,347

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,932 in Madaba, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Madaba $1,932

Chiang Mai costs about 23% more than Madaba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$5.52 JOD 3.91

-59.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$50.1 JOD 35.46

-62.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$6.43 JOD 4.55

-13.69%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.43 JOD 2.43

-51.31%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.60 JOD 0.42

6.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.53 JOD 0.38

-41.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$4.29 JOD 3.03

-44.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$6.90 JOD 4.88

-46.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.42 JOD 1.01

37.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.70 JOD 0.50

105.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.60 JOD 1.14

-16.88%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.68 JOD 1.19

35.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$4.19 JOD 2.96

292.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$5.78 JOD 4.09

-51.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$12.43 JOD 8.80

-25.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.51 JOD 1.78

-6.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.38 JOD 0.98

-29.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.72 JOD 1.22

-6.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.73 JOD 0.51

105.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.68 JOD 0.48

88.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.72 JOD 0.51

52.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.37 JOD 0.26

91.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.54 JOD 0.38

-9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.06 JOD 1.46

100.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$21.41 JOD 15.15

-18.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$4.94 JOD 3.50

-67.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$5.06 JOD 3.58

-45.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.90 JOD 0.63

-3.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$70.0 JOD 49.55

-22.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.64 JOD 0.45

81.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.37 JOD 0.97

-61.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.91 JOD 4.89

-64.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.36 JOD 0.96

6.62%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$33.0K JOD 23.3K

-36.10%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$34.0K JOD 24.1K

-20.80%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$70.0 JOD 49.53

-11.17%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$14.14 JOD 10.01

-13.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$21.39 JOD 15.13

-5.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$28.03 JOD 19.83

33.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$71.4 JOD 50.5

-94.72%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$11.31 JOD 8.01

-42.62%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$41.77 JOD 29.56

1662.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$9,533 JOD 6,747

54.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$64.1 JOD 45.33

-16.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$55.7 JOD 39.43

-55.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$71.5 JOD 50.6

28.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$42.65 JOD 30.18

68.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$208 JOD 147

131.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$41.82 JOD 29.60

638.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$430 JOD 305

133.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$209 JOD 148

203.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$487 JOD 345

21.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.94

-19.74%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Madaba: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Madaba

$42 5.5% 86.5% $267

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Madaba

$234 30.6% 0.3% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Madaba

$105 13.8% 3.1% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Madaba

$106 13.8% 11.7% $11

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Madaba

$144 19% 86.2% $67

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Madaba

$81 10.6% 32.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Madaba

$51 6.6% 0.7% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $208 in Madaba. 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 21% 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 in Chiang Mai versus $50 in Madaba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇯🇴 Madaba

🕒 Local time

05:19 5:19 AM

01:19 1:19 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

65,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.27 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JOD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.788 JOD (1 JOD = 1.27 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Madaba 6,430 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Madaba

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 Madaba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 23% more than Madaba, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $1,143 in Madaba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Madaba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $208 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $50 in Madaba. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 23% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Madaba – 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 Madaba. 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.