Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Shibin Al Kawm

For one person, living is cheaper in Shibin Al Kawm: $458 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Shibin Al Kawm
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Shibin Al Kawm Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Shibin Al Kawm

🇪🇬 Egypt

$458

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Shibin Al Kawm

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 Shibin Al Kawm actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $458 in Shibin Al Kawm, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Shibin Al Kawm $458

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $730 in Shibin Al Kawm, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Shibin Al Kawm $730

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,003 in Shibin Al Kawm, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Shibin Al Kawm $1,003

Chiang Mai costs about 102% more than Shibin Al Kawm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Shibin Al Kawm are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Shibin Al Kawm 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿77.2

$4.16 E£230

-44.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿663

$11.51 E£636

70.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿189

$4.78 E£264

17.36%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.32 E£72.7

25.76%

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

$0.70 ฿23.62

$0.27 E£14.70

159.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.33

$0.11 E£6.15

181.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿81.2

$1.31 E£72.1

83.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿125

$2.93 E£162

26.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.9

$0.80 E£44.09

143.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.48

$0.72 E£39.52

95.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿44.04

$0.59 E£32.83

122.03%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿73.6

$1.19 E£66.0

83.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿562

$3.91 E£216

325.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿93.1

$4.39 E£243

-37.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿307

$9.38 E£518

-2.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.7

$1.54 E£85.2

55.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.59

$0.74 E£40.71

39.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.9

$0.55 E£30.43

196.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.33 E£18.18

354.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.54

$0.24 E£13.25

437.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.38

$0.32 E£17.78

246.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.31

$0.27 E£14.95

166.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.76

$0.20 E£11.26

165.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿145

$1.94 E£107

122.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿605

$5.62 E£310

219.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿53.4

$1.25 E£69.2

26.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.9

$2.23 E£123

27.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿29.14

$0.18 E£10.17

377.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,798

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.67

$0.56 E£30.74

116.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.17

$0.17 E£9.29

235.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.15 E£63.5

104.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿48.42

$0.43 E£23.86

234.88%

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

$20.7K ฿699.4K

$31.7K E£1.8M

-34.69%

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

$26.8K ฿904.2K

$26.6K E£1.5M

0.92%

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

$62.3 ฿2,103

$14.50 E£801

329.86%

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

$12.11 ฿409

$6.85 E£378

76.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿673

$13.24 E£731

50.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,251

$15.90 E£878

133.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿219

$2.92 E£161

122.60%

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

$793 ฿26.7K

$85.1 E£4,700

831.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿499.6K

$2,145 E£118.5K

590.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,813

$33.51 E£1,851

60.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿831

$45.24 E£2,500

-45.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,065

$129 E£7,142

-29.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,400

$57.1 E£3,156

24.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.4K

$133 E£7,348

242.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿10.0K

$75.6 E£4,175

294.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.6K

$249 E£13.8K

264.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.7K

$142 E£7,853

289.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿65.1K

$765 E£42.3K

152.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.7K

$345 E£19.1K

318.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

21.33

-73.89%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Shibin Al Kawm: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Shibin Al Kawm

$76 16.5% 74.6% $222

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Shibin Al Kawm

$127 27.7% 46.1% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Shibin Al Kawm

$119 26.1% 10.3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Shibin Al Kawm

$35 7.6% 63.4% $60

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Shibin Al Kawm

$77 16.9% 1.6% $1.3

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Shibin Al Kawm

$2.1 * 0.5% 96.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Shibin Al Kawm

$22 4.8% 56.6% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $133 in Shibin Al Kawm. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Chiang Mai versus $12 in Shibin Al Kawm. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $127 – making Shibin Al Kawm the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇪🇬 Shibin Al Kawm

🕒 Local time

13:56 1:56 PM

09:56 9:56 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

184,097

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 EGP = 1.81 USD

100 EGP = 1.61 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.25 EGP (100 EGP = 1.81 USD). 1 EUR = 61.99 EGP (100 EGP = 1.61 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Shibin Al Kawm 6,890 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Shibin Al Kawm

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 Shibin Al Kawm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 102% more than Shibin Al Kawm, 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 $686 in Shibin Al Kawm. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shibin Al Kawm, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $133 there versus $455 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20 in Chiang Mai and $12 in Shibin Al Kawm. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 86% 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 $800 monthly budget goes further in Shibin Al Kawm, where all-in costs run around $458, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Shibin Al Kawm it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Shibin Al Kawm – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.