Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Safi

For one person, living is cheaper in Safi: $588 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Safi
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Safi Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Safi

🇲🇦 Morocco

$588

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $588 in Safi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Safi $588

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $904 in Safi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Safi $904

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,221 in Safi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Safi $1,221

Chiang Mai costs about 59% more than Safi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Safi are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Safi 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.13 MAD 30.76

-28.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$18.10 MAD 178

4.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.06 MAD 59.6

-8.42%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.49 MAD 14.68

12.08%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.46 MAD 4.51

39.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.34 MAD 3.30

-8.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.58 MAD 15.49

49.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.50 MAD 14.77

144.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.82 MAD 8.08

137.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.49 MAD 4.84

193.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.58 MAD 15.54

-15.82%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.66 MAD 16.31

37.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$6.63 MAD 65.2

148.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$6.71 MAD 65.9

-58.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.50 MAD 83.6

9.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.16 MAD 11.43

102.59%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.14 MAD 11.24

-14.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.76 MAD 7.45

110.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.71 MAD 6.96

111.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.60 MAD 5.86

113.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.77 MAD 7.61

42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.39 MAD 3.85

82.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.61 MAD 5.98

-19.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.68 MAD 36.14

12.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.57 MAD 74.4

131.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.90 MAD 18.67

-15.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.80 MAD 17.71

54.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.45 MAD 4.41

93.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$10.21 MAD 100

429.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.68 MAD 6.64

70.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.49 MAD 4.79

8.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$5.95 MAD 58.5

-59.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.49 MAD 14.63

-2.68%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$30.8K MAD 302.4K

-31.55%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$32.5K MAD 319.4K

-17.08%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$35.26 MAD 347

76.32%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.00 MAD 98.3

21.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$34.24 MAD 337

-41.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$18.60 MAD 183

100.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$5.14 MAD 50.6

-26.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.58 MAD 35.24

81.28%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$96.0 MAD 943

667.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$3,608 MAD 35.5K

309.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$38.78 MAD 381

37.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$32.65 MAD 321

-24.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$92.6 MAD 910

-1.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$35.25 MAD 347

104.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$278 MAD 2,734

73.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$138 MAD 1,355

124.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$464 MAD 4,557

117.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$234 MAD 2,300

170.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$884 MAD 8,687

167.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$551 MAD 5,413

188.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$445 MAD 4,374

32.54%

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 Safi: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Safi

$138 23.5% 55.4% $171

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Safi

$165 28% 29.7% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Safi

$90 15.3% 17.5% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Safi

$80 13.5% 15.8% $15

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Safi

$75 12.8% 3.1% $2.4

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Safi

$15 2.6% 75.4% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Safi

$26 4.4% 48.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $278 in Safi. 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 33% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $18 in Safi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $165 – making Safi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇦 Safi

🕒 Local time

22:49 10:49 PM

15:49 3:49 PM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

323,888

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 MAD = 10.17 USD

100 MAD = 9.11 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 9.83 MAD (1 MAD = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.98 MAD (100 MAD = 9.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Safi 10,510 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Safi

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 Safi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 59% more than Safi, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $882 in Safi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Safi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $278 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $96 in Safi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $588 in Safi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Safi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Safi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.