Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Saham

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Saham: $938 and $959 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Saham
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Saham Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Saham

🇴🇲 Oman

$959

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $959 in Saham, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Saham $959

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,439 in Saham, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Saham $1,439

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,920 in Saham, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Saham $1,920

Chiang Mai is about 2% cheaper than Saham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Saham are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Saham 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$5.12 OMR 1.97

-55.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$39.33 OMR 15.14

-51.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$7.81 OMR 3.01

-28.43%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$5.21 OMR 2.00

-66.99%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.91 OMR 0.35

-29.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.29 OMR 0.11

13.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$13.19 OMR 5.08

-82.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$12.89 OMR 4.96

-69.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$2.33 OMR 0.90

-12.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.20 OMR 0.46

16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.87 OMR 0.72

-31.55%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$2.92 OMR 1.13

-22.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$7.49 OMR 2.88

126.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$7.00 OMR 2.69

-60.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$10.70 OMR 4.12

-12.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$3.54 OMR 1.36

-32.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.99 OMR 0.77

-49.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$2.32 OMR 0.89

-30.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.27 OMR 0.49

19.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.21 OMR 0.47

5.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.23 OMR 0.47

-9.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.88 OMR 0.72

-61.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.66 OMR 0.25

-21.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$6.46 OMR 2.49

-32.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$15.88 OMR 6.11

11.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$6.05 OMR 2.33

-73.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$10.14 OMR 3.91

-71.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$3.29 OMR 1.27

-64.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$2.61 OMR 1.01

-78.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$7.82 OMR 3.01

-69.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$0.60 OMR 0.23

141.67%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$25.1K OMR 9,647

-18.29%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$22.6K OMR 8,688

17.49%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$180 OMR 69.3

-65.35%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$30.60 OMR 11.78

-59.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$70.6 OMR 27.18

-71.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$10.45 OMR 4.02

-35.79%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$282 OMR 109

182.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$10.4K OMR 4,008

42.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$56.6 OMR 21.78

-5.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$42.91 OMR 16.52

-41.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$89.8 OMR 34.57

2.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$87.0 OMR 33.51

-15.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.25

6.10%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Saham: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Saham

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Saham

$293 30.5% 23.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Saham

$124 13% 13.5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Saham

$281 29.3% 197% $187

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Saham

$223 23.3% 183% $144

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Saham

$16 * 1.7% 73.3% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Saham

$21 * 2.2% 59.3% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $39.00 in Saham. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $293 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇴🇲 Saham

🕒 Local time

14:39 2:39 PM

11:39 11:39 AM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

140,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Saham 4,380 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Saham

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 Saham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saham costs about 2% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,439 in Saham. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $39.00 in Saham. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Saham, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Saham at $959. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saham it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $959 in Saham. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

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