Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Msaken

For one person, living is cheaper in Msaken: $646 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Msaken
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Msaken Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Msaken

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $646 in Msaken, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Msaken $646

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,020 in Msaken, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Msaken $1,020

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,394 in Msaken, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Msaken $1,394

Chiang Mai costs about 45% more than Msaken, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Msaken are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Msaken 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$4.93 TND 14.76

-54.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$21.88 TND 65.5

-12.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$5.86 TND 17.55

-4.61%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.03 TND 3.08

66.99%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.80 TND 2.39

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.37 TND 1.11

-10.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.71 TND 5.11

38.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$2.13 TND 6.38

83.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$0.48 TND 1.45

327.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.30 TND 0.90

366.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.71 TND 5.12

-25.15%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.76 TND 5.26

27.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$13.69 TND 41.00

23.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$5.65 TND 16.93

-51.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$14.36 TND 43.00

-34.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$2.04 TND 6.10

17.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$3.60 TND 10.78

-71.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.11 TND 3.33

45.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$0.81 TND 2.43

87.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.86 TND 2.59

48.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.63 TND 1.88

76.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.40 TND 1.20

80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.32 TND 0.95

62.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$3.76 TND 11.26

15.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$5.94 TND 17.78

198.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.07 TND 3.20

52.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.31 TND 3.92

117.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.34 TND 1.02

150.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$0.32 TND 0.96

265.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.32 TND 0.96

78.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$3.91 TND 11.71

-39.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.86 TND 2.58

68.60%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$38.9K TND 116.4K

-47.33%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$35.6K TND 106.8K

-25.62%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$59.7 TND 179

4.42%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$9.20 TND 27.56

33.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$20.21 TND 60.5

-1.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$21.29 TND 63.8

78.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$5.92 TND 17.73

13.34%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$91.9 TND 275

767.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$3,156 TND 9,452

369.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$43.28 TND 130

23.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$58.7 TND 176

-57.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$117 TND 351

-21.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$86.0 TND 258

-14.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$108 TND 325

327.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$93.1 TND 279

227.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$203 TND 607

351.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$150 TND 450

267.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$244 TND 731

143.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.67

-47.80%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Msaken: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Msaken

$93 14.4% 69.5% $212

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Msaken

$203 31.5% 14.5% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Msaken

$137 21.3% 25.5% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Msaken

$89 13.8% 5.8% $5.5

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Msaken

$87 13.4% 9.9% $7.8

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Msaken

$3.3 * 0.5% 94.7% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Msaken

$33 5.1% 35.4% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $108 in Msaken. 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 144% 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $22.00 in Msaken. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $203 in Msaken – so Msaken wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇳 Msaken

🕒 Local time

23:45 11:45 PM

17:45 5:45 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

56,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Msaken 8,660 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Msaken

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 Msaken: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 45% more than Msaken, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $969 in Msaken. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Msaken, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $22.00 in Msaken. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Msaken, where all-in costs run around $646, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Msaken it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Msaken costs $646 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. 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 Msaken. 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.