Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Relizane

For one person, living is cheaper in Relizane: $556 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Relizane, Algeria
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Relizane
🇩🇿 Algeria
$556
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $556 in Relizane, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Relizane $556

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $911 in Relizane, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Relizane $911

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,266 in Relizane, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Relizane $1,266

Chiang Mai costs about 68% more than Relizane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Relizane are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Relizane 59% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Relizane
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.7
$3.32 DZD 448
-32.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿642
$27.76 DZD 3,738
-31.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿188
$4.38 DZD 589
26.71%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.6
$1.07 DZD 144
56.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.56
$0.63 DZD 84.2
1.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.32
$0.29 DZD 39.08
6.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.6
$2.18 DZD 293
8.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$2.26 DZD 305
61.95%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Relizane
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.8
$0.90 DZD 121
116.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.51
$0.16 DZD 21.41
800.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.07
$1.10 DZD 148
20.91%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.1
$1.23 DZD 165
85.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿556
$8.00 DZD 1,078
105.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$3.92 DZD 528
-29.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$14.53 DZD 1,957
-35.93%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.5
$2.05 DZD 275
14.63%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.82
$2.69 DZD 363
-63.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$1.10 DZD 148
45.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.7
$0.91 DZD 122
64.84%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.15
$0.59 DZD 78.9
116.95%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.22
$0.48 DZD 65.1
129.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.84
$0.80 DZD 108
-11.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.38
$0.27 DZD 36.72
81.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$3.06 DZD 413
35.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿592
$6.62 DZD 891
164.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$1.28 DZD 173
25.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$1.89 DZD 254
47.09%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Relizane
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.33
$0.25 DZD 33.20
248.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,827
$6.49 DZD 874
733.44%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.08
$0.58 DZD 77.7
100.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.82
$0.43 DZD 57.6
23.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.8
$5.55 DZD 747
-56.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.93
$0.35 DZD 47.33
314.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿711.2K
$35.1K DZD 4.7M
-40.08%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿909.8K
$34.8K DZD 4.7M
-22.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Relizane
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,100
$44.62 DZD 6,009
39.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿411
$9.74 DZD 1,311
24.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿680
$12.12 DZD 1,632
66.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Relizane
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,260
$22.24 DZD 2,995
67.76%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$4.56 DZD 615
42.32%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Relizane
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.9K
$560 DZD 75.4K
31.40%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.6K
$6,263 DZD 843.4K
135.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Relizane
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,802
$31.71 DZD 4,270
68.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿832
$35.30 DZD 4,753
-30.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,089
$69.2 DZD 9,316
32.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,429
$79.3 DZD 10.7K
-9.27%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Relizane
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$140 DZD 18.8K
245.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$104 DZD 14.0K
197.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿34.0K
$261 DZD 35.2K
285.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$199 DZD 26.9K
217.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.8K
$1,110 DZD 149.5K
112.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.7K
$1,071 DZD 144.2K
48.38%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Relizane
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
$303 DZD 40.9K
94.39%
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 Relizane: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Relizane
$104 66.3% $205
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Relizane
$175 25.3% $59
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Relizane
$97 10.8% $12
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Relizane
$66 29.6% $28
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Relizane
$72 7.7% $6
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Relizane
$10 83.4% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Relizane
$31 37.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $140 in Relizane. 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 94% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $28 in Relizane. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $175 in Relizane – so Relizane wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇩🇿 Relizane
🕒 Local time
00:47 12:47 AM
18:47 6:47 PM
6 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
130,094
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.43 USD). 1 EUR = 150 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Relizane 9,530 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Relizane

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 Relizane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Relizane?
Chiang Mai costs about 68% more than Relizane, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Relizane?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $834 in Relizane. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Relizane?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Relizane, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $140 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Relizane?
Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $560 in Relizane. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Relizane?
Groceries cost about 34% 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.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Chiang Mai or in Relizane?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $556 in Relizane, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Relizane – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Relizane?
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.
Should I move to Chiang Mai or to Relizane?
If budget matters most, go with Relizane. 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.

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