Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sakakah

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,174 in Sakakah, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Sakakah
Learn more

Sakakah Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Sakakah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,174

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,174 in Sakakah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Sakakah $1,174

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,748 in Sakakah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Sakakah $1,748

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,323 in Sakakah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Sakakah $2,323

Chiang Mai is about 20% cheaper than Sakakah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Chiang Mai and Sakakah are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Sakakah 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$5.81 SAR 21.80

-61.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$36.77 SAR 138

-48.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$8.07 SAR 30.29

-31.23%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.10 SAR 7.88

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 SAR 5.82

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.66 SAR 13.74

-54.37%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.63 SAR 2.37

1.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.32 SAR 1.19

-3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.68 SAR 6.32

16.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.27 SAR 4.75

13.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.32 SAR 8.72

-42.67%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.30 SAR 8.63

-0.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$7.59 SAR 28.47

116.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$8.01 SAR 30.07

-65.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$12.72 SAR 47.71

-26.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.20 SAR 8.24

6.82%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.67 SAR 6.25

-41.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.57 SAR 5.88

1.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.54 SAR 5.79

-2.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.22 SAR 4.59

4.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.27 SAR 4.76

-13.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.22 SAR 4.59

-41.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.57 SAR 2.16

-14.04%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.96 SAR 11.11

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 SAR 6.74

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 SAR 7.71

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.80 SAR 25.53

-39.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$1.09 SAR 4.09

-20.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$36.44 SAR 137

48.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$2.68 SAR 10.05

-56.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.89 SAR 7.11

-71.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$13.17 SAR 49.41

-81.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.65 SAR 2.43

123.08%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$29.3K SAR 109.8K

-28.03%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$21.7K SAR 81.3K

24.42%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$105 SAR 395

-40.91%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$32.82 SAR 123

-62.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$66.2 SAR 248

-69.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$79.5 SAR 298

-53.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$13.43 SAR 50.4

-51.68%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$414 SAR 1,552

78.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$7,900 SAR 29.6K

86.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$41.61 SAR 156

28.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$55.2 SAR 207

-55.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$95.4 SAR 358

-4.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$87.5 SAR 328

-17.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$574 SAR 2,153

-15.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$364 SAR 1,365

-15.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$833 SAR 3,125

20.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$570 SAR 2,140

11.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,369 SAR 8,888

-0.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,395 SAR 5,234

13.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$939 SAR 3,522

-37.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.54

0.54%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sakakah: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Sakakah

$364 31% 17.8% $55

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Sakakah

$202 17.2% 13.8% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Sakakah

$126 10.7% 15.9% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Sakakah

$204 17.4% 116% $110

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Sakakah

$118 10.1% 52.6% $41

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sakakah

$53 4.5% 13.7% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Sakakah

$106 9.1% 112% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $574 in Sakakah. 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 59% higher in Sakakah. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $37 in Sakakah. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $202 in Sakakah – so Sakakah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇸🇦 Sakakah

🕒 Local time

23:58 11:58 PM

19:58 7:58 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

242,813

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Sakakah 6,020 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sakakah

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 Sakakah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sakakah costs about 25% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. 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 $1,760 in Sakakah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $574 in Sakakah.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $414 in Sakakah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Sakakah – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,174 in Sakakah. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,174 in Sakakah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Sakakah makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.