Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Shinas

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Shinas: $936 and $952 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Shinas
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Shinas Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Shinas

🇴🇲 Oman

$952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $952 in Shinas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Shinas $952

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,430 in Shinas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Shinas $1,430

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,908 in Shinas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Shinas $1,908

Chiang Mai and Shinas have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Chiang Mai and Shinas are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Shinas 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$5.11 OMR 1.97

-56.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$39.27 OMR 15.12

-51.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.59 OMR 2.92

-26.88%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$5.21 OMR 2.01

-67.95%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.84 OMR 0.32

-23.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.29 OMR 0.11

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$12.92 OMR 4.97

-81.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$13.16 OMR 5.07

-72.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.35 OMR 0.91

-17.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.19 OMR 0.46

21.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.91 OMR 0.73

-30.37%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$3.01 OMR 1.16

-24.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$7.24 OMR 2.79

127.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.86 OMR 2.64

-59.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.13 OMR 3.90

-8.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$3.53 OMR 1.36

-33.43%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.94 OMR 0.75

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$2.39 OMR 0.92

-33.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.27 OMR 0.49

18.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.17 OMR 0.45

9.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.27 OMR 0.49

-13.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$1.87 OMR 0.72

-62.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.65 OMR 0.25

-24.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.63 OMR 2.55

-37.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$15.36 OMR 5.91

14.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$5.99 OMR 2.31

-73.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$10.12 OMR 3.90

-72.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$3.24 OMR 1.25

-64.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$2.64 OMR 1.02

-79.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$7.96 OMR 3.06

-69.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.65 OMR 0.25

123.08%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$24.6K OMR 9,472

-14.41%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$20.6K OMR 7,915

31.05%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$179 OMR 68.7

-65.18%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$31.10 OMR 11.97

-60.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$69.2 OMR 26.65

-70.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.51 OMR 4.05

-38.25%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$490 OMR 189

50.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$10.3K OMR 3,982

42.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$56.2 OMR 21.63

-4.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$43.52 OMR 16.76

-43.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$89.6 OMR 34.51

2.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$87.7 OMR 33.77

-17.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$3,086 OMR 1,188

-80.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.25

6.10%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Shinas: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Shinas

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Shinas

$289 30.4% 23.3% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Shinas

$125 13.1% 14.8% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Shinas

$279 29.3% 195% $184

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Shinas

$222 23.3% 186% $144

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Shinas

$16 * 1.7% 73.2% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Shinas

$21 * 2.2% 58.2% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Shinas are about 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $39 in Shinas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $289 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇴🇲 Shinas

🕒 Local time

18:57 6:57 PM

15:57 3:57 PM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

43,312

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 29, 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 Shinas 4,420 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Shinas

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 Shinas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,427 in Shinas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Shinas, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $39 in Shinas. 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 $952 in Shinas. 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 $952 in Shinas. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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