Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Rabat

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Rabat: $936 and $921 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Rabat
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Rabat Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Rabat

🇲🇦 Morocco

$921

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $921 in Rabat, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Rabat $921

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,498 in Rabat, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Rabat $1,498

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,074 in Rabat, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Rabat $2,074

Chiang Mai and Rabat have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Chiang Mai and Rabat are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Rabat 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$3.99 MAD 39.29

-43.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$41.46 MAD 408

-54.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$6.96 MAD 68.6

-20.26%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.94 MAD 19.07

-13.92%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.53 MAD 5.26

20.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.37 MAD 3.61

-16.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$5.19 MAD 51.1

-54.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.14 MAD 30.93

16.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.90 MAD 8.86

116.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.60 MAD 5.95

140.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.92 MAD 18.88

-30.73%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.86 MAD 18.27

22.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$11.16 MAD 110

47.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$6.71 MAD 66.1

-58.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$12.08 MAD 119

-22.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.55 MAD 15.29

51.61%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.43 MAD 14.10

-32.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.81 MAD 7.97

97.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.82 MAD 8.12

82.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.72 MAD 7.07

77.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.75 MAD 7.37

46.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.37 MAD 3.62

91.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.63 MAD 6.23

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$4.06 MAD 40.01

1.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.33 MAD 72.2

139.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.56 MAD 25.24

-37.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.68 MAD 26.41

3.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.55 MAD 5.42

58.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$25.62 MAD 252

111.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.73 MAD 7.18

58.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.77 MAD 7.61

-31.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$4.13 MAD 40.70

-41.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.52 MAD 14.99

-4.61%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$30.2K MAD 297.0K

-30.17%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$32.1K MAD 316.0K

-16.05%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$35.47 MAD 349

75.27%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.21 MAD 101

19.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$33.51 MAD 330

-39.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$27.87 MAD 274

33.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$24.11 MAD 237

-84.36%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.94 MAD 58.5

9.26%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$180 MAD 1,776

308.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$9,261 MAD 91.2K

59.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$46.83 MAD 461

13.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$40.60 MAD 400

-39.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$91.6 MAD 902

-0.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$66.0 MAD 650

9.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$572 MAD 5,629

-15.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$345 MAD 3,401

-10.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$987 MAD 9,719

1.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$687 MAD 6,769

-7.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,126 MAD 20.9K

11.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,214 MAD 12.0K

30.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$721 MAD 7,105

-18.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.55

22.42%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rabat: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Rabat

$345 37.5% 11.8% $36

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Rabat

$203 22% 13.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Rabat

$110 12% 1.5% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Rabat

$79 8.6% 16.2% $15

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Rabat

$112 12.1% 44.2% $34

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Rabat

$32 3.5% 47.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Rabat

$40 4.3% 20.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $572 in Rabat. 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 22% higher in Rabat. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $41 in Rabat. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $203 in Rabat – so Rabat wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇦 Rabat

🕒 Local time

04:35 4:35 AM

21:35 9:35 PM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

573,895 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MAD = 10.15 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, 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).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.85 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Rabat 10,220 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Rabat

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 Rabat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,382 in Rabat. 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 $572 in Rabat.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $41 in Rabat. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 53% less in Rabat. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $921 in Rabat. 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 $921 in Rabat to $936 in Chiang Mai. 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.