Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Salalah

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,062 in Salalah, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Salalah despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Salalah
Learn more

Salalah Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Salalah

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,062

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,062 in Salalah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Salalah $1,062

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,598 in Salalah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Salalah $1,598

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,134 in Salalah, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Salalah $2,134

Chiang Mai is about 12% cheaper than Salalah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Salalah are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Salalah 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$5.17 OMR 1.99

-56.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$25.56 OMR 9.84

-25.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$13.24 OMR 5.10

-58.08%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$6.42 OMR 2.47

-73.99%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.85 OMR 0.33

-24.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.27 OMR 0.10

14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$8.88 OMR 3.42

-73.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$10.34 OMR 3.98

-64.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.93 OMR 0.74

1.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$1.22 OMR 0.47

18.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$2.63 OMR 1.01

-49.43%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.89 OMR 0.73

20.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$4.78 OMR 1.84

244.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$4.56 OMR 1.76

-39.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$6.35 OMR 2.45

46.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.90 OMR 0.73

23.68%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.79 OMR 0.69

-45.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.07 OMR 0.80

-22.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.87 OMR 0.72

-19.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$1.44 OMR 0.55

-11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$1.06 OMR 0.41

3.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$1.06 OMR 0.41

-33.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.48 OMR 0.19

2.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.88 OMR 2.26

-29.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$19.95 OMR 7.68

-12.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$3.84 OMR 1.48

-58.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.65 OMR 1.79

-40.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$1.32 OMR 0.51

-34.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$54.9 OMR 21.13

-1.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$2.32 OMR 0.89

-50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$1.28 OMR 0.49

-58.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$11.54 OMR 4.44

-79.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$0.64 OMR 0.25

126.56%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$20.7K OMR 7,971

1.71%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$17.9K OMR 6,900

50.32%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$79.2 OMR 30.50

-21.52%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$49.43 OMR 19.03

-75.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$73.9 OMR 28.45

-72.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$40.35 OMR 15.54

-7.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$26.24 OMR 10.10

-85.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.84 OMR 3.02

-17.22%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$105 OMR 40.39

601.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$1,970 OMR 758

649.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$28.71 OMR 11.05

85.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$31.42 OMR 12.10

-21.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$57.6 OMR 22.16

58.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$44.75 OMR 17.23

60.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$247 OMR 95.1

95.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$205 OMR 78.9

50.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$634 OMR 244

58.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$391 OMR 151

61.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,980 OMR 762

19.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,228 OMR 473

29.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,778 OMR 684

-66.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.58

21.62%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Salalah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Salalah

$205 19.3% 33.7% $104

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Salalah

$229 21.5% 2.5% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Salalah

$73 6.9% 32.7% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Salalah

$203 19.1% 114% $108

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Salalah

$228 21.5% 194% $150

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Salalah

$69 6.5% 12.2% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Salalah

$56 5.3% 11.4% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $247 in Salalah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Salalah are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $26 in Salalah. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $229 in Salalah – so Salalah wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇴🇲 Salalah

🕒 Local time

20:56 8:56 PM

17:56 5:56 PM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

178,469

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.33 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.43 OMR (1 OMR = 2.33 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Salalah 4,740 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Salalah

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 Salalah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Salalah costs about 13% 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,593 in Salalah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Salalah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $247 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,062 in Salalah. That makes Chiang Mai about 12% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $26 in Salalah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,062 in Salalah. 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 $1,062 in Salalah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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