Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Najran

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,238 in Najran, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Najran
Learn more

Najran Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Najran

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,238

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,238 in Najran, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Najran $1,238

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,887 in Najran, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Najran $1,887

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,536 in Najran, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Najran $2,536

Chiang Mai is about 24% cheaper than Najran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Najran are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Najran 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$7.99 SAR 30.00

-73.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$36.76 SAR 138

-49.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$9.12 SAR 34.24

-38.60%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 SAR 6.30

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 SAR 5.14

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$4.49 SAR 16.84

-63.03%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$0.64 SAR 2.41

1.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.30 SAR 1.11

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$2.71 SAR 10.17

-25.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$1.25 SAR 4.69

12.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$2.28 SAR 8.55

-39.04%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$2.41 SAR 9.06

-1.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$7.51 SAR 28.21

119.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$7.91 SAR 29.70

-66.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$12.77 SAR 47.91

-29.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$2.12 SAR 7.95

13.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.67 SAR 6.26

-37.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.62 SAR 6.09

2.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.61 SAR 6.03

-3.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$1.24 SAR 4.64

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$1.31 SAR 4.93

-16.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$1.19 SAR 4.48

-36.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.54 SAR 2.01

-5.56%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$3.00 SAR 11.25

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 SAR 6.83

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 SAR 7.59

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$6.44 SAR 24.19

-36.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$1.08 SAR 4.05

-13.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

$38.45 SAR 144

37.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$2.63 SAR 9.86

-55.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$1.94 SAR 7.27

-91.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$14.12 SAR 53.0

-87.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$0.54 SAR 2.04

172.22%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$30.9K SAR 115.9K

-31.94%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$23.0K SAR 86.2K

15.44%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$103 SAR 388

-39.53%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$33.14 SAR 124

-65.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$66.1 SAR 248

-69.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$77.9 SAR 292

-51.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$81.0 SAR 304

-95.43%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$13.22 SAR 49.63

-50.76%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$454 SAR 1,703

60.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$10.6K SAR 39.6K

56.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$42.90 SAR 161

24.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$54.5 SAR 205

-54.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$96.7 SAR 363

-6.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$85.6 SAR 321

-15.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$544 SAR 2,040

-11.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$390 SAR 1,463

-20.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$937 SAR 3,518

12.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$614 SAR 2,306

7.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$1,949 SAR 7,314

24.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$1,268 SAR 4,760

26.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$1,737 SAR 6,519

-65.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.54

0.54%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Najran: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Najran

$390 31.5% 25.7% $80

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Najran

$211 17.1% 10.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Najran

$126 10.2% 16.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Najran

$203 16.4% 115% $108

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Najran

$149 12% 94.5% $72

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Najran

$55 4.5% 6.1% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Najran

$104 8.4% 105% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $544 in Najran. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Najran are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $37 in Najran. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $211 in Najran – so Najran wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇦 Najran

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

07:11 7:11 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

298,288

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.23 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Najran 5,760 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Najran

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 Najran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Najran costs about 32% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,857 in Najran. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $544 in Najran.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $454 in Najran. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 11% cheaper in Najran – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,238 in Najran. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,238 in Najran. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Najran makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.