Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Medina

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,364 in Medina, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Medina
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Medina Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Medina

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $906 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,364 in Medina, rent included.

Chiang Mai $906
Medina $1,364

A couple spends around $1,385 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,816 in Medina, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,385
Medina $1,816

A family of three spends $1,864 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,268 in Medina, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,864
Medina $2,268

Chiang Mai is about 34% cheaper than Medina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Chiang Mai sits 32% below the global median, while Medina is 2% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$5.53 SAR 20.75

-61.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.40 ฿649

$32.09 SAR 120

-39.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 ฿183

$8.20 SAR 30.78

-33.29%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 SAR 5.93

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 SAR 6.62

Cappuccino

$1.68 ฿56.4

$2.70 SAR 10.15

-37.78%

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

$0.66 ฿22.10

$0.76 SAR 2.84

-13.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.52

$0.25 SAR 0.95

36.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿81.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ฿68.9

$1.49 SAR 5.61

38.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.78

$0.92 SAR 3.44

58.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ฿45.09

$2.32 SAR 8.70

-41.81%

Eggs

$2.27 ฿76.0

$2.09 SAR 7.84

8.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.31 ฿546

$5.44 SAR 20.44

199.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.3

$7.03 SAR 26.39

-61.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.20 ฿308

$12.49 SAR 46.90

-26.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.1

$2.42 SAR 9.10

-1.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.66

$1.98 SAR 7.42

-47.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.7

$2.29 SAR 8.60

-30.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.37

$1.55 SAR 5.83

-7.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.59

$1.36 SAR 5.12

-4.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.29

$1.37 SAR 5.14

-18.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ฿23.55

$0.93 SAR 3.49

-24.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.99

$0.71 SAR 2.68

-28.17%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.29 SAR 4.85

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 SAR 5.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 ฿138

$7.54 SAR 28.32

-45.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 ฿595

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.76

$1.05 SAR 3.94

-18.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ฿1,780

$36.80 SAR 138

44.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿40.81

$1.36 SAR 5.12

-10.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ฿18.81

$1.68 SAR 6.32

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 ฿77.5

$5.71 SAR 21.44

-59.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$0.64 SAR 2.41

134.38%

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

$20.9K ฿698.3K

$41.8K SAR 157.0K

-50.11%

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

$26.7K ฿895.0K

$20.7K SAR 77.5K

29.45%

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

$61.3 ฿2,051

$149 SAR 558

-58.78%

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

$12.50 ฿419

$27.41 SAR 103

-54.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.36 ฿682

$90.7 SAR 341

-77.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.94 ฿1,270

$78.9 SAR 296

-51.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿126

$9.01 SAR 33.83

-58.16%

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 ฿221

$13.51 SAR 50.7

-51.15%

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

$774 ฿25.9K

$294 SAR 1,103

163.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿483.2K

$5,483 SAR 20.6K

163.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ฿1,835

$36.85 SAR 138

48.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.26 ฿846

$54.4 SAR 204

-53.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 ฿3,032

$67.0 SAR 252

35.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ฿2,453

$70.0 SAR 263

4.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$459 ฿15.4K

$570 SAR 2,139

-19.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ฿9,835

$529 SAR 1,988

-44.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 ฿30.8K

$779 SAR 2,926

17.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$573 SAR 2,151

-3.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.2K

$2,309 SAR 8,670

-16.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.4K

$1,356 SAR 5,091

6.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ฿19.8K

$1,244 SAR 4,671

-52.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.17

33.57%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Medina: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8%

Medina

$529 39.2% 80.2% $236

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6%

Medina

$191 14.1% 19.2% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9%

Medina

$103 7.6% 6.4% $7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Medina

$267 19.7% 183% $173

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4%

Medina

$105 7.8% 36.3% $28

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Medina

$51 3.8% 16.2% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Medina

$106 7.8% 107% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $459 in Chiang Mai versus $570 in Medina. 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 110% higher in Medina, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $32.00 in Medina. Groceries tell a different story – $236 in Chiang Mai vs $191 in Medina – so Medina wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇦 Medina

🕒 Local time

16:50 4:50 PM

12:50 12:50 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,100,093

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.238 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.238 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Medina 6,130 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Medina

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 Medina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Medina costs about 51% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,359 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,047 in Medina. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $774 per month in Chiang Mai and $294 in Medina. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 24% cheaper in Medina – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $906, than in Medina at $1,364. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medina it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $906 versus $1,364 in Medina. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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