Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos: $935 and $956 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
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Madinat As Sultan Qaboos Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

🇴🇲 Oman

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

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 Madinat As Sultan Qaboos actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $956 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $956

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,434 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $1,434

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,911 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $1,911

Chiang Mai and Madinat As Sultan Qaboos have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Chiang Mai and Madinat As Sultan Qaboos are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Madinat As Sultan Qaboos 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$5.35 OMR 2.06

-60.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$38.48 OMR 14.81

-51.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$7.89 OMR 3.04

-29.02%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$5.01 OMR 1.93

-66.87%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$0.91 OMR 0.35

-28.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.29 OMR 0.11

3.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$13.09 OMR 5.04

-82.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$13.26 OMR 5.10

-72.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$2.29 OMR 0.88

-11.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$1.24 OMR 0.48

13.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$1.91 OMR 0.73

-27.23%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$3.08 OMR 1.19

-23.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$7.12 OMR 2.74

132.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$7.14 OMR 2.75

-62.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$10.13 OMR 3.90

-10.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$3.65 OMR 1.40

-34.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$2.01 OMR 0.77

-48.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$2.39 OMR 0.92

-30.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.30 OMR 0.50

20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$1.17 OMR 0.45

5.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$1.28 OMR 0.49

-14.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$1.82 OMR 0.70

-58.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.65 OMR 0.25

-21.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$6.55 OMR 2.52

-37.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$15.39 OMR 5.92

16.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$5.94 OMR 2.29

-72.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$10.26 OMR 3.95

-72.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$3.23 OMR 1.24

-63.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$2.53 OMR 0.97

-93.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$7.92 OMR 3.05

-77.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$0.61 OMR 0.23

140.98%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$25.2K OMR 9,705

-16.66%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$20.7K OMR 7,960

28.22%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$180 OMR 69.2

-65.17%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$30.21 OMR 11.63

-61.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$70.4 OMR 27.10

-71.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$10.58 OMR 4.07

-38.47%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$492 OMR 189

47.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$10.4K OMR 4,001

59.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$56.7 OMR 21.81

-5.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$43.66 OMR 16.80

-43.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$88.6 OMR 34.10

2.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$87.0 OMR 33.50

-17.30%

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 ฿35.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.25

6.10%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Madinat As Sultan Qaboos: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$291 30.5% 23.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$124 13% 14.6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$280 29.3% 197% $186

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$223 23.4% 192% $147

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$16 * 1.7% 72.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$21 * 2.2% 58.4% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $38 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $291 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇴🇲 Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

🕒 Local time

07:22 7:22 AM

04:22 4:22 AM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Madinat As Sultan Qaboos 4,220 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

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 Madinat As Sultan Qaboos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,434 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $38 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $956 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $935 versus $956 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos. 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.