Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ouargla

For one person, living is cheaper in Ouargla: $539 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Ouargla
Learn more

Ouargla Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Ouargla

🇩🇿 Algeria

$539

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $539 in Ouargla, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Ouargla $539

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $868 in Ouargla, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Ouargla $868

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,197 in Ouargla, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Ouargla $1,197

Chiang Mai costs about 74% more than Ouargla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Ouargla are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Ouargla 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$3.25 DZD 438

-31.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$15.86 DZD 2,135

19.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.17 DZD 562

33.09%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$0.70 DZD 94.5

138.57%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.66 DZD 88.8

-3.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.26 DZD 35.11

19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.4

$1.68 DZD 226

40.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$2.11 DZD 284

73.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.6

$0.87 DZD 118

124.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.39

$0.14 DZD 18.59

928.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.96

$1.08 DZD 146

23.15%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿76.9

$1.22 DZD 164

86.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$7.32 DZD 985

124.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.7

$4.40 DZD 592

-36.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$15.98 DZD 2,151

-41.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.11 DZD 284

11.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$2.87 DZD 387

-66.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.23 DZD 165

30.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.07 DZD 144

40.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.05

$0.64 DZD 86.4

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.13

$0.53 DZD 71.4

107.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.78

$0.64 DZD 85.5

10.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.28 DZD 38.09

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.71 DZD 364

52.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$6.66 DZD 897

163.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.18 DZD 159

36.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.63 DZD 219

70.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.26

$0.21 DZD 28.01

314.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,822

$6.78 DZD 912

697.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿38.99

$0.55 DZD 74.3

110.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.77

$0.46 DZD 62.3

15.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$5.98 DZD 805

-59.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.81

$0.29 DZD 39.44

400.00%

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

$21.1K ฿709.5K

$35.5K DZD 4.8M

-40.62%

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

$26.9K ฿907.7K

$38.1K DZD 5.1M

-29.22%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$34.57 DZD 4,653

79.84%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$8.22 DZD 1,106

48.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$11.78 DZD 1,585

70.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$21.76 DZD 2,929

71.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.90 DZD 524

66.41%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$341 DZD 45.9K

116.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.4K

$4,392 DZD 591.2K

236.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,798

$35.83 DZD 4,823

48.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$30.28 DZD 4,076

-18.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,082

$68.4 DZD 9,203

33.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$88.1 DZD 11.9K

-18.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.2K

$163 DZD 22.0K

195.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$99.9 DZD 13.4K

209.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$253 DZD 34.1K

297.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$198 DZD 26.7K

219.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$975 DZD 131.3K

142.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.5K

$1,177 DZD 158.4K

35.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Ouargla: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Ouargla

$100 18.6% 67.7% $209

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Ouargla

$181 33.5% 22.9% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Ouargla

$100 18.6% 7.8% $8.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Ouargla

$55 10.1% 42.2% $40

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Ouargla

$63 11.8% 18.4% $14

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ouargla

$10 2% 82.9% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ouargla

$30 5.5% 41.2% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $163 in Ouargla. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $16 in Ouargla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $181 – making Ouargla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇩🇿 Ouargla

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

07:22 7:22 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

133,024

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.43 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 33.69 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.43 USD). 1 EUR = 150 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.67 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Ouargla 9,250 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ouargla

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 Ouargla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 74% more than Ouargla, 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 $808 in Ouargla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ouargla, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $163 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $341 in Ouargla. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Ouargla, where all-in costs run around $539, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Ouargla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ouargla – 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.

For expats, Ouargla is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 42% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.