Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Mostaganem

For one person, living is cheaper in Mostaganem: $526 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Mostaganem, Algeria
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Mostaganem
🇩🇿 Algeria
$526
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $526 in Mostaganem, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Mostaganem $526

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $858 in Mostaganem, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Mostaganem $858

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,190 in Mostaganem, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Mostaganem $1,190

Chiang Mai costs about 78% more than Mostaganem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Mostaganem are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Mostaganem 61% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Mostaganem
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.7
$3.37 DZD 453
-33.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿642
$26.26 DZD 3,536
-27.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿188
$4.30 DZD 579
29.07%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.6
$1.09 DZD 146
53.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.56
$0.59 DZD 79.6
8.47%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.32
$0.29 DZD 39.35
6.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.6
$2.27 DZD 306
3.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$2.20 DZD 297
66.36%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Mostaganem
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.8
$0.79 DZD 107
146.84%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.51
$0.13 DZD 17.28
1007.69%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.07
$1.11 DZD 149
19.82%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.1
$1.18 DZD 159
93.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿556
$3.74 DZD 504
339.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$3.85 DZD 519
-27.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$14.29 DZD 1,925
-34.85%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.5
$2.00 DZD 270
17.50%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.82
$2.74 DZD 369
-64.60%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$1.12 DZD 151
42.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.7
$0.77 DZD 103
94.81%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.15
$0.38 DZD 50.7
236.84%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.22
$0.27 DZD 36.53
307.41%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.84
$0.74 DZD 100
-4.05%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.38
$0.27 DZD 36.41
81.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$2.54 DZD 342
62.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿592
$6.75 DZD 909
159.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$1.23 DZD 165
30.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$1.95 DZD 262
42.56%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Mostaganem
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.33
$0.31 DZD 42.10
180.65%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,827
$6.60 DZD 888
719.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.08
$0.59 DZD 79.0
96.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.82
$0.47 DZD 63.0
12.77%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.8
$2.22 DZD 298
9.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.93
$0.21 DZD 28.21
590.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿711.2K
$34.6K DZD 4.7M
-39.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿909.8K
$34.0K DZD 4.6M
-20.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Mostaganem
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,100
$35.14 DZD 4,732
76.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿411
$7.14 DZD 961
70.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿680
$12.09 DZD 1,628
66.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Mostaganem
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,260
$22.87 DZD 3,080
63.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$4.58 DZD 617
41.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Mostaganem
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.9K
$73.4 DZD 9,888
902.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.6K
$6,447 DZD 868.1K
129.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Mostaganem
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,802
$32.32 DZD 4,353
65.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿832
$34.70 DZD 4,672
-28.99%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,089
$69.8 DZD 9,396
31.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,429
$79.0 DZD 10.6K
-8.95%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Mostaganem
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$142 DZD 19.2K
238.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$101 DZD 13.7K
204.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿34.0K
$288 DZD 38.8K
248.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$181 DZD 24.4K
249.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.8K
$979 DZD 131.8K
141.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.7K
$1,101 DZD 148.3K
44.27%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Mostaganem
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
$230 DZD 30.9K
156.81%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
5.3
5.09%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mostaganem: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Mostaganem
$101 67.2% $207
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Mostaganem
$158 32.6% $76
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Mostaganem
$97 10.6% $12
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Mostaganem
$54 42.4% $40
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Mostaganem
$72 6.9% $5.4
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Mostaganem
$11 82.4% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Mostaganem
$32 36.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $142 in Mostaganem. 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 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $26 in Mostaganem. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $158 in Mostaganem – so Mostaganem wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇩🇿 Mostaganem
🕒 Local time
01:01 1:01 AM
19:01 7:01 PM
6 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
145,696
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.43 USD). 1 EUR = 150 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Mostaganem 9,560 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Mostaganem

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 Mostaganem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Mostaganem?
Chiang Mai costs about 78% more than Mostaganem, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Mostaganem?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $789 in Mostaganem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Mostaganem?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mostaganem, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $142 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Mostaganem?
Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $73 in Mostaganem. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Mostaganem?
Groceries cost about 48% 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.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Chiang Mai or in Mostaganem?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $526 in Mostaganem, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Mostaganem – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Mostaganem?
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.
Should I move to Chiang Mai or to Mostaganem?
If budget matters most, go with Mostaganem. 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.

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