Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Mersa Matruh

For one person, living is cheaper in Mersa Matruh: $457 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Mersa Matruh
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Mersa Matruh Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Mersa Matruh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Mersa Matruh

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $457 in Mersa Matruh, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Mersa Matruh $457

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $749 in Mersa Matruh, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Mersa Matruh $749

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,040 in Mersa Matruh, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Mersa Matruh $1,040

Chiang Mai costs about 102% more than Mersa Matruh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Mersa Matruh are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Mersa Matruh 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿77.2

$4.20 E£234

-45.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿663

$19.05 E£1,062

3.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿189

$4.72 E£264

18.86%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.27 E£70.6

30.71%

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

$0.70 ฿23.61

$0.33 E£18.14

112.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.33

$0.11 E£6.01

181.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿81.1

$1.36 E£75.8

77.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿125

$2.79 E£156

32.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.9

$0.87 E£48.65

124.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.47

$0.66 E£37.07

113.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿44.03

$0.65 E£36.07

101.54%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿73.6

$1.19 E£66.1

83.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿562

$3.80 E£212

338.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿93.0

$4.24 E£237

-34.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿307

$9.23 E£515

-1.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.7

$1.54 E£86.1

55.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.58

$0.75 E£41.82

37.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.9

$0.55 E£30.85

196.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.35 E£19.76

328.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.53

$0.26 E£14.59

396.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.37

$0.30 E£16.70

270.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.30

$0.27 E£15.19

166.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.76

$0.22 E£11.99

140.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿145

$1.85 E£103

132.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿605

$5.67 E£316

216.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿53.4

$1.25 E£69.6

26.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.28 E£127

24.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿29.13

$0.21 E£11.72

309.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,797

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.66

$0.56 E£31.13

116.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.16

$0.17 E£9.23

235.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.20 E£67.1

95.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿48.40

$0.43 E£24.06

234.88%

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

$20.7K ฿699.2K

$32.5K E£1.8M

-36.18%

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

$26.8K ฿904.0K

$27.1K E£1.5M

-1.01%

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

$62.3 ฿2,102

$14.05 E£784

343.63%

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

$12.11 ฿408

$6.68 E£373

81.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿673

$13.50 E£753

47.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,250

$15.88 E£885

133.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿219

$2.91 E£162

123.37%

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

$793 ฿26.7K

$85.0 E£4,740

832.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿499.5K

$2,090 E£116.6K

608.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,813

$33.72 E£1,881

59.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿831

$45.91 E£2,560

-46.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,064

$128 E£7,112

-28.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,400

$57.4 E£3,202

23.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.4K

$128 E£7,152

255.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿10.0K

$76.7 E£4,278

288.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.6K

$256 E£14.3K

255.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.7K

$144 E£8,048

283.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿65.1K

$772 E£43.0K

150.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.7K

$354 E£19.7K

308.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.9K

$94.2 E£5,253

527.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

21.33

-73.89%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Mersa Matruh: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.8% 74.2% $221

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Mersa Matruh

$126 27.6% 46.3% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Mersa Matruh

$119 26% 10.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Mersa Matruh

$34 7.5% 63.7% $60

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.9% 1.9% $1.5

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Mersa Matruh

$2.2 * 0.5% 96.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Mersa Matruh

$22 4.7% 56.7% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $128 in Mersa Matruh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 6.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Chiang Mai versus $19 in Mersa Matruh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $126 – making Mersa Matruh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇬 Mersa Matruh

🕒 Local time

09:38 9:38 AM

05:38 5:38 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

140,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.79 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.49 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Mersa Matruh 7,240 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Mersa Matruh

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 Mersa Matruh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 102% more than Mersa Matruh, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $686 in Mersa Matruh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mersa Matruh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $128 there versus $455 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Chiang Mai and $19 in Mersa Matruh. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 86% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Mersa Matruh, where all-in costs run around $457, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Mersa Matruh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mersa Matruh – 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 Mersa Matruh. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.