Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Manouba

For one person, living is cheaper in Manouba: $654 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Manouba
Learn more

Manouba Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Manouba

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$654

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $654 in Manouba, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Manouba $654

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,026 in Manouba, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Manouba $1,026

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,398 in Manouba, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Manouba $1,398

Chiang Mai costs about 43% more than Manouba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Manouba are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Manouba 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.34 TND 10.03

-32.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$20.45 TND 61.4

-7.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.04 TND 18.16

-8.11%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.17 TND 3.52

42.74%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.60 TND 1.79

6.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.27 TND 0.81

14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.56 TND 4.70

51.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.34 TND 7.02

56.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.46 TND 1.37

323.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.22 TND 0.66

554.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.31 TND 3.95

1.53%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.62 TND 4.87

40.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$9.89 TND 29.70

66.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$5.52 TND 16.58

-49.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$13.89 TND 41.74

-32.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.80 TND 5.42

30.56%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$3.06 TND 9.21

-68.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.07 TND 3.22

49.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.68 TND 2.04

120.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.76 TND 2.28

68.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.66 TND 1.97

66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.50 TND 1.50

42.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.34 TND 1.01

44.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.62 TND 10.89

14.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.77 TND 20.34

158.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.18 TND 3.54

36.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.08 TND 3.25

157.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.33 TND 0.99

163.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$10.03 TND 30.12

439.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.29 TND 0.87

300.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.31 TND 0.93

70.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$1.79 TND 5.38

35.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$0.82 TND 2.46

76.83%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$35.9K TND 107.9K

-41.37%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$34.3K TND 103.1K

-21.53%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$45.98 TND 138

35.21%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$8.59 TND 25.80

41.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$21.14 TND 63.5

-4.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$27.04 TND 81.2

37.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$12.70 TND 38.14

-70.31%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.23 TND 15.71

24.09%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$96.2 TND 289

665.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$2,484 TND 7,462

494.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$42.58 TND 128

25.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$35.69 TND 107

-30.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$102 TND 305

-10.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$68.1 TND 205

5.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$208 TND 624

132.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$158 TND 474

95.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$373 TND 1,121

169.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$269 TND 807

135.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$965 TND 2,900

144.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$605 TND 1,817

162.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.65

-47.70%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Manouba: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Manouba

$158 24.1% 48.9% $151

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Manouba

$184 28.1% 21.6% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Manouba

$112 17.1% 2.7% $3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Manouba

$76 11.6% 19.9% $19

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Manouba

$75 11.4% 3.5% $2.8

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Manouba

$13 2% 78.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Manouba

$37 5.7% 25.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $208 in Manouba. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $20 in Manouba. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $184 in Manouba – so Manouba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇳 Manouba

🕒 Local time

08:04 8:04 AM

02:04 2:04 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

58,792

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 TND = 0.333 USD

1 TND = 0.298 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 3 TND (1 TND = 0.333 USD). 1 EUR = 3.35 TND (1 TND = 0.298 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Manouba 8,670 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Manouba

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 Manouba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 43% more than Manouba, 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 $981 in Manouba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $96 in Manouba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $654 in Manouba, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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