Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Settat

For one person, living is cheaper in Settat: $646 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Settat
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Settat Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Settat

🇲🇦 Morocco

$646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $646 in Settat, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Settat $646

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,030 in Settat, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Settat $1,030

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,415 in Settat, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Settat $1,415

Chiang Mai costs about 43% more than Settat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Settat are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Settat 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$3.11 MAD 30.28

-26.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$30.32 MAD 296

-35.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$6.00 MAD 58.5

-6.50%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.15 MAD 11.18

44.35%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.44 MAD 4.31

59.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.37 MAD 3.57

-16.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.20 MAD 11.70

100.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$1.53 MAD 14.88

142.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$0.88 MAD 8.57

121.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.84 MAD 8.21

67.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.53 MAD 14.96

-14.38%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.90 MAD 18.55

14.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$7.85 MAD 76.6

112.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$5.14 MAD 50.1

-46.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$11.23 MAD 110

-18.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.57 MAD 15.31

52.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.35 MAD 13.15

-23.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.92 MAD 8.99

77.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$0.73 MAD 7.11

105.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.72 MAD 7.02

79.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.82 MAD 7.98

35.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.23 MAD 2.23

213.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.53 MAD 5.15

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$4.03 MAD 39.32

6.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$7.47 MAD 72.8

140.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$2.28 MAD 22.27

-30.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$3.29 MAD 32.05

-13.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.51 MAD 4.95

68.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$20.43 MAD 199

160.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.80 MAD 7.78

51.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.59 MAD 5.79

-3.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$7.00 MAD 68.3

-66.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.51 MAD 14.76

-4.64%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$30.1K MAD 293.5K

-31.13%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$31.5K MAD 307.1K

-14.91%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$20.66 MAD 201

201.69%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$5.07 MAD 49.44

138.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$36.21 MAD 353

-44.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$18.64 MAD 182

98.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$21.14 MAD 206

-82.12%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$6.57 MAD 64.1

-1.07%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$97.3 MAD 949

714.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$8,252 MAD 80.5K

79.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$31.76 MAD 310

69.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$44.34 MAD 432

-44.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$80.6 MAD 786

12.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$80.8 MAD 788

-11.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$273 MAD 2,664

66.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$169 MAD 1,645

76.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$453 MAD 4,416

100.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$273 MAD 2,663

102.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,126 MAD 11.0K

71.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$883 MAD 8,607

63.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$206 MAD 2,012

186.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.5

23.78%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Settat: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Settat

$169 26.1% 43.4% $129

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Settat

$181 28.1% 23.1% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Settat

$107 16.6% 1.2% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Settat

$62 9.6% 34.4% $32

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Settat

$69 10.7% 12.3% $9.7

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Settat

$26 4.1% 56.8% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Settat

$32 4.9% 36.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $273 in Settat. 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 186% 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $30.00 in Settat. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $181 in Settat – so Settat wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇦 Settat

🕒 Local time

07:52 7:52 AM

01:52 1:52 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

142,250

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 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 October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Settat 10,340 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Settat

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 Settat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 43% more than Settat, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $968 in Settat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Settat, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $97.3 in Settat. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Chiang Mai, 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 Settat, where all-in costs run around $646, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Settat it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Settat costs $646 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. 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 Settat. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.