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

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 42.7% cheaper than Ruwais without rent, and 48.1% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 24.4% cheaper than Ruwais without rent, and 46.4% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.01 ฿64.4

$6.64 AED 24.36

-69.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.23 ฿583

$38.64 AED 142

-52.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.65 ฿244

$7.42 AED 27.24

3.10%

Cappuccino

$1.92 ฿61.3

$4.65 AED 17.08

-58.71%

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

$0.84 ฿26.90

$0.82 AED 2.99

2.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ฿11.39

$0.35 AED 1.28

2.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 ฿70.0

$10.71 AED 39.30

-79.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 ฿121

$9.88 AED 36.26

-61.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ฿52.4

$1.85 AED 6.78

-11.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ฿51.8

$1.46 AED 5.37

10.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 ฿36.88

$1.92 AED 7.03

-40.10%

Eggs

$1.94 ฿62.0

$3.08 AED 11.29

-37.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.94 ฿510

$2.71 AED 9.94

488.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.10 ฿99.2

$7.77 AED 28.50

-60.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.07 ฿354

$6.64 AED 24.37

66.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 ฿86.5

$2.98 AED 10.93

-9.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ฿37.69

$1.62 AED 5.94

-27.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 ฿54.5

$1.37 AED 5.04

24.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ฿51.3

$0.86 AED 3.14

87.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 ฿44.53

$0.67 AED 2.45

107.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ฿36.70

$0.40 AED 1.46

187.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿22.76

$1.61 AED 5.92

-55.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿17.60

$0.61 AED 2.24

-9.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.57 ฿146

$6.39 AED 23.47

-28.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.87 ฿603

$12.27 AED 45.05

53.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿58.2

$1.38 AED 5.07

31.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 ฿103

$2.68 AED 9.84

19.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ฿28.16

$1.64 AED 6.02

-46.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.89 ฿604

$51.8 AED 190

-63.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 ฿45.17

$2.66 AED 9.76

-46.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 ฿41.59

$0.70 AED 2.58

85.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 ฿262

$8.27 AED 30.35

-0.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ฿39.18

$0.76 AED 2.77

61.84%

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

$21.2K ฿677.0K

$45.7K AED 167.7K

-53.65%

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

$22.3K ฿713.3K

$22.7K AED 83.2K

-1.58%

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

$69.9 ฿2,234

$92.6 AED 340

-24.52%

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

$14.07 ฿450

$52.5 AED 193

-73.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.70 ฿566

$96.8 AED 355

-81.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.41 ฿1,324

$64.7 AED 237

-35.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.69 ฿214

$39.28 AED 144

-82.97%

Cinema Ticket

$5.74 ฿184

$11.42 AED 41.90

-49.74%

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

$299 ฿9,566

$596 AED 2,187

-49.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K ฿479.8K

$3,833 AED 14.1K

291.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ฿1,753

$22.20 AED 81.5

146.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.35 ฿842

$80.2 AED 294

-67.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 ฿2,706

$78.4 AED 288

8.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.7 ฿2,229

$54.9 AED 201

27.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$427 ฿13.6K

$731 AED 2,684

-41.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 ฿7,697

$759 AED 2,787

-68.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 ฿25.9K

$2,476 AED 9,085

-67.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$498 ฿15.9K

$1,341 AED 4,921

-62.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,022 ฿64.7K

$4,503 AED 16.5K

-55.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,524 ฿48.7K

$2,346 AED 8,608

-35.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$639 ฿20.4K

$2,725 AED 10.0K

-76.54%

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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Ruwais: April 13, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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