Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sanaa

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,023 in Sanaa, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Sanaa despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Sanaa
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Sanaa Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Sanaa

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,023

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,023 in Sanaa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Sanaa $1,023

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,619 in Sanaa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Sanaa $1,619

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,216 in Sanaa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Sanaa $2,216

Chiang Mai is about 9% cheaper than Sanaa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Chiang Mai and Sanaa are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Sanaa 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$6.45 YER 1,520

-65.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$25.52 YER 6,020

-25.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.76 YER 2,301

-43.14%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 YER 460

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 YER 616

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.79 YER 895

-55.94%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$1.18 YER 278

-45.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.59 YER 140

-47.46%

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

$2.06 YER 487

-5.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.64 YER 386

-12.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$2.01 YER 475

-33.83%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.76 YER 886

-39.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$17.06 YER 4,023

-3.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$8.44 YER 1,990

-67.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$19.00 YER 4,482

-51.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.27 YER 771

-28.13%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.01 YER 238

-3.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.16 YER 509

-25.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.73 YER 408

-13.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.51 YER 357

-15.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.33 YER 314

-17.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.20 YER 284

-40.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.64 YER 152

-23.44%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.55 YER 602

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 YER 425

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 YER 615

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.54 YER 1,306

-25.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

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 ฿29.31

$0.41 YER 95.6

112.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$84.8 YER 20.0K

-36.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$4.21 YER 992

-72.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$2.16 YER 510

-75.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$7.21 YER 1,701

-66.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$2.12 YER 500

-31.60%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$16.7K YER 3.9M

26.30%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$34.4K YER 8.1M

-21.78%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$109 YER 25.6K

-42.76%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$23.21 YER 5,475

-47.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$100 YER 23.7K

-79.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$66.2 YER 15.6K

-43.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$16.55 YER 3,904

-77.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.02 YER 1,420

7.81%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$117 YER 27.5K

531.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$2,184 YER 515.0K

576.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$41.59 YER 9,810

28.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$123 YER 28.9K

-79.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$48.01 YER 11.3K

90.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$41.10 YER 9,694

75.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$219 YER 51.7K

119.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$93.7 YER 22.1K

229.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$413 YER 97.3K

143.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$274 YER 64.6K

131.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$4,087 YER 963.9K

-42.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$795 YER 187.5K

99.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$190 YER 44.8K

210.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.25

-50.49%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sanaa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Sanaa

$94 9.2% 69.7% $215

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Sanaa

$270 26.4% 15.1% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Sanaa

$114 11.1% 4.9% $5.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Sanaa

$232 22.7% 146% $138

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Sanaa

$133 13.1% 72% $56

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sanaa

$101 9.9% 65.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Sanaa

$78 7.7% 55.6% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $219 in Sanaa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 3.1 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $26 in Sanaa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $270 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇾🇪 Sanaa

🕒 Local time

16:21 4:21 PM

12:21 12:21 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,527,861 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

YER, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 263 YER (1,000 YER = 3.8 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Sanaa 5,810 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sanaa

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 Sanaa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sanaa costs about 9% 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 $1,534 in Sanaa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sanaa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $219 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $117 in Sanaa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Sanaa, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,023 in Sanaa. 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 $1,023 in Sanaa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.