Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Qairawan

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,245 in Qairawan, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Qairawan
Learn more

Qairawan Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Qairawan

🇰🇼 Kuwait

$1,245

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,245 in Qairawan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Qairawan $1,245

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,045 in Qairawan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Qairawan $2,045

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,844 in Qairawan, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Qairawan $2,844

Chiang Mai is about 25% cheaper than Qairawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$9.13 KWD 2.81

-75.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$51.6 KWD 15.90

-63.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$6.98 KWD 2.15

-20.49%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 KWD 1.00

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 KWD 0.96

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$4.48 KWD 1.38

-62.72%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.49 KWD 0.15

30.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.29 KWD 0.09

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.30 KWD 0.40

50.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.83 KWD 0.25

73.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.12 KWD 0.65

-37.26%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.35 KWD 0.73

-2.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$4.40 KWD 1.35

273.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$5.04 KWD 1.55

-44.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.38 KWD 2.89

-0.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.51 KWD 0.77

-6.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.73 KWD 0.53

-43.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.27 KWD 0.39

25.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.67 KWD 0.51

-10.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.53 KWD 0.47

-16.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.89 KWD 0.27

23.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.46 KWD 0.45

-51.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.53 KWD 0.16

-7.55%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.98 KWD 0.92

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 KWD 0.31

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 KWD 0.39

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.82 KWD 0.87

46.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.90 KWD 0.28

-3.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$3.44 KWD 1.06

-66.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$3.69 KWD 1.14

-85.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$17.89 KWD 5.51

-86.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.39 KWD 0.12

271.79%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$25.4K KWD 7,816

-16.99%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$16.8K KWD 5,177

60.32%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$55.7 KWD 17.16

11.64%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$22.45 KWD 6.92

-45.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$32.17 KWD 9.91

-37.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$106 KWD 32.61

-64.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$11.56 KWD 3.56

-43.86%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$295 KWD 90.8

149.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$7,738 KWD 2,384

90.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$34.92 KWD 10.76

52.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$39.28 KWD 12.10

-37.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$91.9 KWD 28.33

-0.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$101 KWD 31.17

-28.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$789 KWD 243

-38.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$549 KWD 169

-43.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,926 KWD 593

-47.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,172 KWD 361

-45.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.53

-14.70%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Qairawan: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Qairawan

$549 44.1% 77.7% $240

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Qairawan

$161 12.9% 31.5% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Qairawan

$120 9.7% 10.7% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Qairawan

$110 8.9% 16.8% $16

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Qairawan

$151 12.1% 94.5% $73

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Qairawan

$25 * 2.1% 58.5% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Qairawan

$129 10.4% 157% $79

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $789 in Qairawan. 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 $52 in Qairawan. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $161 in Qairawan – so Qairawan wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇼 Qairawan

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

00:51 12:51 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kuwaiti Dinar KWD د.ك

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 KWD = 3.25 USD

1 KWD = 2.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KWD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

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).

Kuwaiti Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.308 KWD (1 KWD = 3.25 USD). 1 EUR = 0.343 KWD (1 KWD = 2.92 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Qairawan 5,290 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Qairawan

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 Qairawan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Qairawan costs about 33% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. 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 $1,868 in Qairawan. 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 $482 there versus $789 in Qairawan.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $52 in Qairawan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 31% cheaper in Qairawan – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,245 in Qairawan. 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 $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,245 in Qairawan. 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.