Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Skikda

For one person, living is cheaper in Skikda: $537 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Skikda
Learn more

Skikda Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Skikda

🇩🇿 Algeria

$537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $537 in Skikda, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Skikda $537

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $874 in Skikda, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Skikda $874

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,210 in Skikda, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Skikda $1,210

Chiang Mai costs about 74% more than Skikda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Skikda are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Skikda 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$3.26 DZD 440

-34.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$17.51 DZD 2,369

6.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$3.84 DZD 519

45.83%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$0.69 DZD 93.3

140.58%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$0.39 DZD 52.2

66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.26 DZD 35.22

15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.52 DZD 205

52.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.12 DZD 287

73.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.02 DZD 138

98.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$0.17 DZD 22.96

729.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$1.51 DZD 205

-7.95%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$1.20 DZD 162

97.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$7.70 DZD 1,042

114.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$4.38 DZD 593

-39.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$13.07 DZD 1,768

-30.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.04 DZD 276

17.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$2.69 DZD 363

-61.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.08 DZD 146

53.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.11 DZD 150

40.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$0.57 DZD 76.8

117.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$0.45 DZD 60.7

142.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.41 DZD 55.9

85.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.27 DZD 36.84

88.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.69 DZD 364

53.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$6.80 DZD 920

163.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.27 DZD 172

27.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$1.87 DZD 253

50.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$0.17 DZD 22.44

447.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$6.57 DZD 889

705.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$0.98 DZD 133

20.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$0.40 DZD 54.2

-57.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$5.26 DZD 712

-65.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$0.31 DZD 41.28

374.19%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$31.1K DZD 4.2M

-32.50%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$34.6K DZD 4.7M

-23.30%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$35.55 DZD 4,808

75.98%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$9.09 DZD 1,229

27.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$15.73 DZD 2,127

29.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$17.32 DZD 2,342

118.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$4.38 DZD 593

48.63%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$327 DZD 44.3K

122.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$4,869 DZD 658.6K

240.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$31.64 DZD 4,279

69.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$34.70 DZD 4,694

-28.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$75.4 DZD 10.2K

19.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$111 DZD 15.0K

-34.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$143 DZD 19.4K

235.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$91.7 DZD 12.4K

237.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$268 DZD 36.3K

294.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$199 DZD 26.9K

231.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$960 DZD 129.9K

151.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$1,043 DZD 141.0K

54.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$272 DZD 36.7K

119.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.3

5.09%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Skikda: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Skikda

$92 17.1% 70.4% $218

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Skikda

$174 32.5% 26.3% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Skikda

$114 21.2% 4.8% $5.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Skikda

$60 11.3% 36.1% $34

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Skikda

$60 11.2% 21.3% $16

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Skikda

$10 1.9% 82.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Skikda

$26 4.9% 48.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $143 in Skikda. 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 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $18 in Skikda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $174 – making Skikda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇩🇿 Skikda

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

07:49 7:49 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

163,618

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Algerian Dinar DZD د.ج

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 DZD = 7.39 USD

1,000 DZD = 6.61 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DZD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Algerian Dinar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 135 DZD (1,000 DZD = 7.39 USD). 1 EUR = 151 DZD (1,000 DZD = 6.61 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Skikda 8,950 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Skikda

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 Skikda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 74% more than Skikda, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $805 in Skikda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Skikda, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $143 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $327 in Skikda. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Skikda, where all-in costs run around $537, than in Chiang Mai at $935. In Skikda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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