Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Meknes

For one person, living is cheaper in Meknes: $732 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Meknes
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Meknes Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Meknes

🇲🇦 Morocco

$732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $732 in Meknes, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Meknes $732

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,096 in Meknes, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Meknes $1,096

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,460 in Meknes, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Meknes $1,460

Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than Meknes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Meknes are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Meknes 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.59 MAD 25.49

-13.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$15.47 MAD 152

22.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.21 MAD 61.0

-10.63%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.76 MAD 17.34

-5.11%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.95 MAD 9.30

-32.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.55 MAD 5.39

-43.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.98 MAD 29.29

-20.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.63 MAD 35.71

0.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.80 MAD 7.85

143.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.37 MAD 3.67

289.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.28 MAD 12.54

3.91%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.79 MAD 17.61

27.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$11.05 MAD 109

48.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$5.13 MAD 50.4

-45.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.13 MAD 89.8

1.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.19 MAD 11.69

97.48%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.31 MAD 12.91

-25.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.65 MAD 6.35

146.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.71 MAD 6.97

111.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.56 MAD 5.54

128.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.51 MAD 5.02

115.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.48 MAD 4.75

47.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.54 MAD 5.30

-9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.98 MAD 39.11

4.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$8.07 MAD 79.4

117.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.36 MAD 23.20

-31.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.61 MAD 25.61

6.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.39 MAD 3.87

123.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$15.11 MAD 148

257.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.69 MAD 6.74

68.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.32 MAD 3.17

65.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$4.56 MAD 44.84

-46.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.38 MAD 13.54

5.07%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$31.0K MAD 304.2K

-31.96%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$30.4K MAD 298.6K

-11.31%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$45.53 MAD 448

36.55%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$9.78 MAD 96.2

24.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$37.13 MAD 365

-45.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$27.67 MAD 272

34.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$31.74 MAD 312

-88.12%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.18 MAD 41.08

55.26%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$122 MAD 1,204

501.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$5,612 MAD 55.2K

163.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$58.2 MAD 572

-8.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$44.01 MAD 433

-44.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$90.6 MAD 890

1.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$60.2 MAD 592

19.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$343 MAD 3,369

40.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$207 MAD 2,039

48.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$600 MAD 5,898

67.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$323 MAD 3,179

95.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$950 MAD 9,337

148.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$592 MAD 5,818

168.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$468 MAD 4,604

25.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.5

23.78%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Meknes: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Meknes

$207 28.3% 32.9% $102

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Meknes

$174 23.8% 25.6% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Meknes

$114 15.6% 4.8% $5.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Meknes

$92 12.6% 2.1% $2

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Meknes

$89 12.1% 14.3% $11

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Meknes

$19 2.6% 69.1% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Meknes

$36 4.9% 28.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $343 in Meknes. 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 26% 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 $15 in Meknes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $174 – making Meknes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇦 Meknes

🕒 Local time

03:19 3:19 AM

20:19 8:19 PM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

520,428

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MAD = 10.17 USD

100 MAD = 9.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.83 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.98 MAD (100 MAD = 9.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Meknes 10,120 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Meknes

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 Meknes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than Meknes, 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 $1,098 in Meknes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Meknes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $343 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $122 in Meknes. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Meknes. 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.