Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ruwais Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ruwais

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 36.2% cheaper than Ruwais without rent, and 47.4% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 30.7% cheaper than Ruwais without rent, and 44.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.97 ฿62.0

$6.48 AED 23.78

-69.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.68 ฿587

$37.51 AED 138

-50.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.92 ฿249

$7.78 AED 28.56

1.80%

Cappuccino

$2.02 ฿63.7

$4.79 AED 17.59

-57.83%

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

$0.84 ฿26.45

$0.82 AED 3.00

2.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.07

$0.34 AED 1.26

2.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 ฿69.9

$10.79 AED 39.60

-79.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ฿113

$9.56 AED 35.09

-62.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ฿52.4

$1.85 AED 6.77

-9.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ฿51.1

$1.49 AED 5.46

8.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 ฿37.83

$1.90 AED 6.99

-36.84%

Eggs

$1.93 ฿60.8

$3.10 AED 11.37

-37.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.00 ฿503

$2.67 AED 9.80

499.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 ฿99.2

$7.59 AED 27.84

-58.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.93 ฿344

$6.61 AED 24.26

65.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 ฿83.8

$2.88 AED 10.56

-7.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ฿36.99

$1.59 AED 5.85

-25.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ฿51.5

$1.34 AED 4.93

22.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿49.83

$0.81 AED 2.96

96.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 ฿41.64

$0.65 AED 2.38

103.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ฿37.49

$0.42 AED 1.55

183.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿22.20

$1.65 AED 6.07

-56.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ฿17.75

$0.67 AED 2.45

-16.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.64 ฿146

$6.59 AED 24.20

-29.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.96 ฿596

$13.49 AED 49.49

40.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿55.7

$1.40 AED 5.14

26.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ฿101

$2.78 AED 10.21

15.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 ฿28.32

$1.61 AED 5.89

-44.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.24 ฿605

$52.0 AED 191

-62.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ฿42.78

$2.80 AED 10.28

-51.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 ฿42.37

$0.67 AED 2.45

101.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 ฿256

$8.24 AED 30.26

-1.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ฿38.43

$0.75 AED 2.74

62.67%

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

$21.4K ฿671.8K

$46.3K AED 169.9K

-53.85%

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

$21.7K ฿683.8K

$22.0K AED 80.7K

-1.04%

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

$70.3 ฿2,210

$91.1 AED 334

-22.80%

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

$13.91 ฿437

$52.8 AED 194

-73.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.00 ฿566

$97.6 AED 358

-81.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.78 ฿1,314

$63.6 AED 233

-34.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.80 ฿214

$39.29 AED 144

-82.69%

Cinema Ticket

$5.72 ฿180

$11.65 AED 42.74

-50.90%

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

$308 ฿9,693

$601 AED 2,204

-48.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿465.7K

$3,755 AED 13.8K

294.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 ฿1,756

$22.02 AED 80.8

153.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.71 ฿840

$79.2 AED 291

-66.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 ฿2,658

$78.5 AED 288

7.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 ฿2,227

$55.4 AED 203

27.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$431 ฿13.5K

$758 AED 2,781

-43.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,439

$748 AED 2,747

-68.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 ฿25.5K

$2,540 AED 9,323

-68.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿15.7K

$1,340 AED 4,919

-62.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,202 ฿69.2K

$4,879 AED 17.9K

-54.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,600 ฿50.3K

$2,661 AED 9,766

-39.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$684 ฿21.5K

$2,689 AED 9,870

-74.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.71

6.16%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 2026

Last update for Ruwais: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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